Jane Chapman – Les Charmes

Jane Chapman – harpsichord
Les Charmes

Jean-Henry d’Anglebert – Overture de Cadmus
Louis Marchand – Suite 1, en ré mineur
Louis-Claude Daquin – Les Enchainemens Harmonieux, from Deuxieme Suite in D major
Jean-Philippe Rameau – Suite in G major/minor
François Couperin – Movements from Huitiême Ordre
Jacques Duphly – Troisième Livre
François Couperin – Les Charmes, from Neuviême Ordre

Jane Chapman explores the picturesque and dramatic world of the French Clavecinistes. From d’Anglebert’s majestic operatic transcription of Cadmus, composed by Lully in 1673, to Rameau’s Egyptian dancing girl, and Duphly’s flamboyant La Victoire, colourful characters, pièces caractéristiques, and baroque dance forms reveal a depth and variety of musical styles  which resonate within the harpsichord. Couperin’s richly ornamented Passacaille contrasts with the lute-like intimacy of Les Charmes, and the elegance and lightness of the Rococo period of Louis XV.