Prélude et autes fantaisies

CD Prélude et autes fantaisies Violaine Cochard

This recording is the result of "love at first sight" – mine for this wonderful Dulcken harpsichord!
I have been fortunate in having had opportunity to play the instrument on several occasions, each time with the same emotion. Following my fancy, I played pieces that particularly appeal to me emotionally, most of them written by that great man of genius, Johann Sebastian Bach, since the qualities of this extraordinary instrument are so perfectly attuned to his music, combining brilliance and refinement, power and interiority.
When the idea of making a recording became a reality, it seemed natural to base the programme on those pieces my heart had chosen.
Although the selection was made for affective reasons, I have tried to create a programme that is both diverse and coherent, including various writing processes and genres of which Bah particularly found, such as traditional counterpoint, the fantasia and dances.
If the characteristic feature of Baroque is the art of contrast, the Fantasia BWV922 and the Toccata BWV913 are prime examples, with their alternation of free and fugal writing, fast and slow tempi, and different affects.
The dances I have chosen have been isolated from their suites so that we may hear them differently and see them in a new light, in a different context, thus also highlighting their specificities. In the same spirit, I have also removed other pieces from their usual contexts.
In the en the programme offers a contrast in forms, affects and atmospheres, like a concert; but there is unity in the perfect entente between the music and this exceptional instrument by Dulcken.
Violaine Cochard