Harpsichord Music from the Reign of Louis XIV

One of the leading keyboard players of her generation, Sophie Yates is renowned as a performer, educator, and broadcaster. She writes of this programme: ‘The Versailles of the seventeenth century was very different from the huge, opulent palace we know today... it was only in the last quarter of the century – after twenty years of work by architects, designers, and the landscape gardener Le Nôtre – that Louis XIV moved there permanently... Music was extremely important at the court of Louis XIV (1638 – 1715) and, as such, provided work and patronage for a huge number of composers, dancers, teachers, instrument makers, and theatrical animateurs, supporting a whole artistic culture. The works in the present anthology are all drawn from this era of creative abundance... The cast of extraordinary characters who appear on this recording were all nurtured in the prestigious and wealthy court of Louis XIV. Nevertheless, their music is refined and intimate, prizing expressiveness over display and delighting in the colour and resonance of the harpsichord.’