Musique A Grande Vitesse (MGV ) translates as 'high speed music' and was commissioned by the Festival de Lille for the inauguration of the TGV North European Paris-Lille line in 1993.The piece runs continuously, but was conceived as an abstract, imaginary journey- or rather five inter-connected journeys, each ending with a slow, mainly stepwise melody which is only heard in its 'genuine' form when the piece reaches its destination.Thematic 'transformation' is a key to MGV as a whole. Throughout the piece ideas - rhythmic, melodic, harmonic, motivic, textural - constantly change their identity as they pass through different musical 'environments'.The opening bars establish both a recurrent rhythmic principle - 9, 11, or 13-beat rhythmic cycles heard against a regular 8 - and a harmonic process - chord sequences (mainly over C and E) which have the note E in common. (Coincidentally, MGV begins in C and ends in E). A later scalic, syncopated figure (again first heard over C, E and A) begins the second section, featuring Brass, in D flat.The topography of MGV should be experienced without reference to planning, description or timetables. The piece's tempo changes and unpredictable slowings down bear no logical relation to the high speed of the Paris-Lille journey, while the temptation to treat MGV as a concerto grosso, with the Michael Nyman band as the ripeno, was resisted: more suitably the band (amplified in live performance) lays down the tracks on which MGV runs. / Orchestre

Par COUPERIN FRANCOIS. Couperin Concerts royaux 1722 (Score and Parts) This edition contains Couperin?s four ?Concerts royaux?, which were published in 1722 as part of Book III of his ?Pièces de clavecin?. For the first time it makes these pieces, scored for chamber ensemble, separately available in an Urtext edition. It is based on the musical text of the solo harpsichord version found in the pioneering new edition of ?Pièces de clavecin III? (BA 10846). The editor has painstakingly evaluated the many impressions of the original print, most of which he himself discovered in libraries throughout the world. The preface (Fr/Eng) contains informative details on historical performance practice and on the conception of the ?Concerts royaux?, which Couperin expressly intended to be performed either by solo harpsichord or with accompanying ensemble. The modern engraving preserves essential features of the original print, which largely avoids page-turns within the pieces. It thereby brings today?s players close to the special sound of this music in a fascinating way. Couperin?s table of embellishments and symbols as well as a glossary (Fr/Eng) and a detailed Critical Commentary (Eng) round off this long-overdue Urtext edition. - First separate Urtext edition of the ?Concerts royaux? for chamber ensemble, based on the pioneering new edition of Book III of the ?Pièces de clavecin? (BA 10846) - Preserves essential features of the original notation as well as Couperin?s original embellishment signs - Notes on historical performance practice, glossary, Couperin?s table of embellishments and symbols (Fr/Eng) and detailed Critical Commentary (Eng) / Date parution : 2022-05-31/ Recueil / Ensemble de Chambre