Harpsichord in concert, Luc Beauséjour’s concert series, presented Friday evening, in collaboration with Bourgie Hall, the great French harpsichordist Pierre Hantaï. The evening fully lived up to the reputation of the artist.
What distinguishes a great harpsichordist? After all it is not a question of subtlety of touch as on the piano! In practice, artists such as Pierre Hantaï allow us to put these questions into words. After this wonderful evening, we can talk about a clever mix of rigor and freedom.
At Pierre Hantaï, freedom manifests itself in the final composition of the musical menu. There is what is included in the program. But there is what he will really play, that is to say, in John Bull, a journey that takes him from one Pavane to one Fantasy in D through several dances. The English Suite No. 2 of Bach, he feels the importance of bringing it with a chorale composed for Anna Magdalena. In the same way, it will insert a Saraband of Louis Couperin in the second part between Händel and the Toccata of Bach to temper the tension born of the final Gigue of the Ssuite HWV 436.
fertile imagination
The rigor is absolute in the dazzling lively movements, never rushed, but held and clear, with an astonishing equality: Händel’s Gigue as the final Allegro of the Toccata of Bach or Gigue and Courante of the 2nd Suite.
But where Pierre Hantaï delights is in finding the perfect touch of color by playing the settings allowed by the Flemish harpsichord made by Keith Hill in 1984 after Ruckers. He adapts the softness or the breadth of the sounds and switches from one keyboard to another to play up the contrasts as much as possible.
Added to this is a fertile imagination, like the sort of bubbling deluge from which the 2nd English Suite or Händel’s skilful ornamentation. Hantaï possesses the art of bringing us to the music, to the heart of this music.
It was one of those rare and precious evenings capable of making even refractory ears love the harpsichord.