Couperin completed only three of the requisite nine lessons for the western Tenebrae service. The “shadows and darkness” of this service is a highly dramatic rendering of the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah, particularly apt for the Holy Week passion of Christ, and the lessons were normally spread over the several Matins services in the Catholic Church, later to be consolidated into one afternoon celebration in France during the 18th century. Other churches have since taken up the service, rendering it in different ways, and usually only once during the week. Couperin’s three sections (and we aren’t sure if he composed more) are for the Maundy Thursday services.
Unlike the forceful, polyphonic settings of Tallis, Lassus, and others, where the choral writing expresses a strong sense of the Prophet’s utterance, Couperin’s version focuses mainly on the intimate, more introverted aspects of the text. His forte is the exquisite word painting and subtle text setting, where nary a syllable goes by without some sort of emotional inflection. These are not settings intended for great, affecting catharsis, but rather for meditative soliloquy, an internalizing of the text in the spirit of the season as applied to the individual person, not the gargantuan gushing of repentance provoked by some massive choral onslaught directed at a large congregation en masse. The drama (and to keep our attention) is enhanced by the third setting, where a second soprano joins in to express more deeply “where the yoke of iniquities weighs me down” and all seems despair until the final cry for the return of Jerusalem to its Lord.
As a break between sections, this recording offers a work called ‘The Human Voice’ by Marias for viola da gamba, theorbo, and organ (also the very effective continuo for the Tennebrae), and a setting of Couperin’s own ‘Les Sylvains’ by the gambist of Louis XIV’s court, Robert de Visee.
The Lecons have been well served on disc—not a lot of recordings, but most of them superb. Especially noteworthy, if you prefer men’s voices, are the Christie on Harmonia Mundi (with countertenors, now reissued), and the Hogwood on Oiseau-Lyre with the understated, plaintive voice of Emma Kirkby (not available currently, but sure to reappear). This recording uses women’s voices in a non-mannered way, certainly not acceding to period ‘style’, but using operatic voices in a mildly descriptive fashion. Vibrato is present easily and unapologetically, and both sopranos have no qualms about using any expressive device they can for the good of the interpretation. I find it simple, bracing, and elegant, and this can certainly be recommended as general filler for any collection if you are comfortable with female voices. La Sfera Armoniosa plays with nuance and admirable clarity.
The sound is completely unaffected. The 5.0 (four-channel) SACD is unobtrusive and effective, not hitting you over the head, but offering a wide and comforting presence with a lot of bloom and quiet. A fine release!
— Steven Ritter
