Luogo e data di registrazione		Studio Teldec, Hamburg (Germany) - 31 Maggio / 3 Giugno 1965
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Producer		-
	Prima Edizione LP		Telefunken "Das Alte Werk" | SAWT 9476-A | 1 LP - durata 54' 00" | (p) 1965 | ANA Telefunken | 6.48009 DX | 2 LPs - durata 54' 00" - 51' 21" | (p) 1969 | ANA | Riedizione (Ordres I-II-III-IV)
	Edizione CD		Teldec Classics | LC 6019 | 4509-93689-2 | 2 CDs - durata 53' 06" - 51' 41" | (c) 1994 | ADD | (Produzioni I-II-III-IV)
	Cover		"Picture of Joseph III and family", painting by Peter Jakob Horemans (original in Schloss Nymphenburg). Photo: Erika Drave
	Note		-

In  the  preface  to  “Les  Nations”,  Couperin  relates how “La  Française” came  into being,  how  it gained  early success  as  a  supposedly  Italian  composition,  and  also  the principles  on  which  he  revised  the  original  version.  The  text  of  the  sonatas  themselves  was  retained  without  alteration  except  for minor  details,  but  each sonata had an extensive suite added to it in the printed version.  The composer’s development from being a “serviteur passionné d’Italie” (passionate servant of Italy) to his conscious attempt at a “Réunion des goûts” (reunion of tastes) manifests itself quite clearly  in  this  late  combination  of an  imported art (the  sonata)  with  a  native  one (the  suite).  The  greatness of  the  works,  however,  lies  largely  in  the  fact  that  no mere  juxtaposition  of  French  and  Italian  elements  arose  in  this  process,  but a real blend  of  the  two,  even  in  stylistic  details,  so  that  the “réunion”  matured  into  a harmonious  synthesis.  Italian  melody  and  harmony  and  the  impressive  dignity  of broadly  conceived  melody in Corellian  adagios  pervade sonata  and  suite  movements alike,  blending  with  the  traditional  French  art  of embellishment,  with  the  carefully worked-out polyphonic  and quasi-poly  phonic  structure of the native  chamber music and with the French spirit of “clarté” and elegance to form an  entirely  new  style. Spontaneity  of invention  and  the  greatest  subtlety  of structure  are  here  combined with  such  magnificence  and  variety  that  it would  hardly seem an exaggeration, in spite of all stylistic differences, to place Couperin’s trios alongside  the  chamber music of Bach. The two works on this record correspond to the pattern to which Couperin adheres in all his trio sonatas and trio suites, without any notable modifications. They are written for two “dessus” or descant  instruments  that  are  not  precisely stipulated (violins  or  flutes), which, together  with a “basse  d’archet”  (bass viol),  form  a  trio  of fully  worked-out  parts,  supported  by  the continuo  (which  usually,  though  not always, follows the string  bass  line).  The order of the movements  in the  introductory sonatas  is Corellian:  usually slow - quick fugato - slow - quick  dance movement - slow - quick  fugato - air - quick  dance movement, the  individual  sections  generally leading  into one  another  without  a  break.  This  Italian  sonata  is then  followed  by the  French  suite,  consisting  of a  loose  arrangement  of dance  movements  culminating in a grand chaconne as the last movement but one or two. "La  Française”  and “L’Impériale” show most  impressively  what  a  wealth  of  nuances  this  apparently rigid  formal  scheme  left  open  to  a  master  such  as  Couperin.  At  the  same time  it should  be noted  that  the  imaginative  and colourful  titles  of  the  works - likewise elements  of  the French tradition - are not programmatic in the narrow sense of a concrete, extra-musical “subject”. They are to be understood  far more as a “poetic” embellishment  and as  intentionally  vague  references  to  the  style of performance  and the basic musical character,  designed  to  stimulate the  imagination  of the  performer and the listener  without guiding them in any  too definite  direction.  “La  Française” is  clearly  Corellian  in  its  opening - a  Grave  whose  broadly  spanned  Italian melody,  full of sighs  and  suspensions,  is blended with  French  rhythm and ornamentation  into  an  elegiac beauty. The Italian  nature of the sonata  remains  clearly evident throughout all its movements,  right  up  to  the  final  Allegro - a  stylized Gigue which,  in its  concertante  play  of motifs  and  its  delight  in thirds  between  the upper  parts, is perhaps  the  most  Italian of all  the  short  movements. The suite that follows it adheres strictly to the traditional  French  dance  types  as regards  form, rhythm  and  character  of  expression,  but  nevertheless  combines them with Italian melodiousness of the upper voices and Italian fullness of sound in the compactly homophonic  part-writing.  The  centre-piece of  the  suite,  its  large-scale  Chaconne, gathers  up  within  itself  all  the  grandeur  and  resplendent  dignity  of  the  French suite  tradition. The  interval  of more  than  thirty years  between  the  composition  of “La  Française” and “L’Impériale” is reflected  in  the  obvious  stylistic  individuality  of  the  later work,  even  though  their  basic  plans  are  very  similar.  The  movement  forms  have been  extended and  given  greater  variety;  the  traditional  homophonic and polyphonic types  of writing  have  been  modified by a  freer play  of motifs  and  a  mode of writing  varied  by concertante  effects. Subtle shades  of expression  are thus  introduced  into  the  individual movements while,  at  the  same  time,  their  basic  characters are more  strongly contrasted  than  before. Italian and French  traditions are here blended  into  one style,  which  begins  to  break  up  the traditional forms,  types  and modes  of  writing  from  within.  In  its  striving  towards a more  refined  and  freer movement  structure, together  with the most varied and most personal expression, this  new style  has  already  left  the  world  of  the  Baroque  and  of  Louis XIV far behind. The tiny Minuet  that  concludes “L’Impériale”, coming  like a little humorous  surprise  after  the  mighty  Chaconne,  is entirely  “galant”  and  rococo  in character,  suggesting  a  final  glimpse  into  the new age at whose threshold Couperin in his later  works  had  arrived. Ludwig Finscher