Concertante harpsichords

Olivier Fortin and Emmanuel Frankenberg present a program of arrangements of French orchestral works for two harpsichords: "This was common practice in the 17th and 18th centuries, so that people could play the popular melodies they heard in the opera at home or in salons." Among other pieces, the program features Jean-Philippe Rameau's famous Les Sauvages, a hit of the time that was first composed for solo harpsichord and later orchestrated by the composer for Les Indes galantes. Here, a version for two harpsichords is heard that is closer to the orchestral version. The program also includes works by Marin Marais, Jean-Henri d'Anglebert, Jacques Champion de Chambonnières, Louis Couperin, and Nicolas Lebègue. Long-time musical partners Fortin and Frankenberg chose instruments whose timbres are particularly suited to the French style and clearly took great pleasure in shaping this musical journey: "We did intensive research, experimented, explored a vast repertoire, and freely tried out many possibilities on the instrument to find out what sounds best for two... It is true that a harpsichord sounds like a harpsichord – but two harpsichords sound like four! Together, we can go much further in terms of sound."