Couperin: Le Rossignol en Amour | Hanneke van Proosdij, sixth flute (recorder); D. Tam, harpsichord

Couperin’s delightful harpsichord piece, arranged for sixth flute and performed by Hanneke van Proosdij and Derek Tam. 4K video from our “Evening in Paris“ concert, 2018. The sixth flute is a recorder pitched six notes above the alto recorder, in D. Smaller than a soprano recorder, but larger than a sopranino, it plays in the same range as the baroque piccolo and has a complex, refined sound. ’Le rossignol en amour’ (the nightingale in love) appears as a character piece in in the 14th ’ordre’ of Couperin’s Troisième Livre de pièces de clavecin. Couperin gave the following instructions: “It is not necessary to follow the beat too closely in the variations: place the emphasis on expression, play the fast notes cleanly, and round off the marked ornaments. This “Rossignol” can be performed with the great success on the flute if well played.“ #Couperin