William Christie - Conversation - Gaspard Le Roux: Suites for 2 Harpsichords - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

For the third volume of their Schubert 200 series, Samuel Hasselhorn and Ammiel Bushakevitz celebrate the composer's refound exuberance. After the sunlit summer of 1825, 1826 was a year of renewal for Schubert, bringing an astounding rush of artistic energy. These Lieder, pitched between nostalgia and quiet confidence, sing of a hope transcending the vagaries of life.

The least famous of Beethoven's symphonies? Yet these two works are genuine tours de force the composer takes the listener on a journey whose destination never seems to be known in advance, one brimming over with structural innovations subtly brought out in this interpretation by the musicians of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. This recording is also an opportunity to discover just how clearly Cherubini's music prefigured that of Beethoven, whereas Méhul's symphony is a response à la française to the German composer.

On the eve of a vigorous eightieth birthday, the most French of American musicians has chosen the Musée de la musique to assemble a host of young artists who are dear to him William Christie has watched over their budding skills, and they have already become masters. This program celebrates the composers he has so passionately championed and, in some cases, brought back to life.