Keyboard Suites
Rameau wrote over 60 short pieces for solo harpsichord, most of them grouped into three collections. Angela Hewitt, acclaimed for her recordings of Bach, Ravel and Couperin, plays three Suites drawn from those collections. They include 24 pieces in a well-filled disc that makes a strong case for playing Rameau on the piano. Many, like theCourantof the Suite in E minor, encompass the typically French melding of elegance with rhythmic precision,Tambourin, from the same Suite, is one of Rameau’s popular works, an infectious, bouncy dance played by Hewitt with sly touches of rubato that make you sorry it's so short. The final two Suites on the disc comprise Rameau's last published collection and, as Hewitt writes in her excellent booklet notes, exhibit greater richness and drama. They also include witty pieces, such asLa poule, with its pecking figures mimicking the chicken of the title. Works likeL'enharmoniquewere adventurous for their time and place, with harmonic shocks, quick mood changes, and an expressive pause. The Suite in A minor offers more obvious virtuoso elements, such as hand-crossing to give the illusion of three hands at work and, in theCourante, complex rhythms and counterpoint. Hewitt plays it all with lucid ornamentation, precise articulation, and apt tempos. Unless you're allergic to Rameau played on the modern piano, this CD is a delight.-- Dan Davis