Leçons de ténèbres | Couperin
"An impeccable reading by Le Concert Spirituel, which has been working on these unique and fascinating versions for ten years."
Javier Sarría Pueyo, Scherzo, April 2026
"Nurtured by ten years of concerts, this reading benefits from remarkable cohesion, with singing that blossoms—supple and informed in both pronunciation and ornamentation."
Jean-Christophe Pucek, Diapason, April 2026
Album cover photo credit by DIANE D. HEMINGWAY
Information
Produced by Alpha Classics
Co-produced by Le Concert Spirituel & Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Recorded in October 2024 at the Chapelle de Conflans, Charenton-le-Pont
Released digitally on March 20, 2026, and on CD on March 27, 2026
Duration: 70 min
Distribution
Hervé Niquet conductor
Le Concert Spirituel choir and orchestra
Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel release a new album on Alpha Classics dedicated to François Couperin's Leçons de Ténèbres, accompanied by works by Chein, Charpentier, and de Lalande. This record captures the culmination of ten years of performing this now-iconic program.
This album is the culmination of ten years of concerts : a program that the ensemble's seven singers have mastered to perfection. Hervé Niquet highlights the serenity of the recording, driven by a rare artistic rapport: "The singers know every nook and cranny of these complex scores. It was the right time to record this testament to ten years of work."
The Leçons de Ténèbres by Couperin unfold with full intensity, blending vocal virtuosity, purity of line, and spiritual brilliance. De Lalande’s Miserere, Charpentier’s Répons, and Chein’s Introït complete this journey into the heart of the French Baroque, delivered with the unique sonic signature of Le Concert Spirituel.
A profound, luminous recording and another major milestone in Hervé Niquet’s discography.
LOUIS CHEIN
FRANÇOIS COUPERIN
FIRST LESSON OF DARKNESS FOR SOLO VOICE
MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER
RESPONSORIES OF DARKNESS
FRANÇOIS COUPERIN
SECOND LESSON OF DARKNESS FOR SOLO VOICE
MICHEL RICHARD DE LALANDE
MISERERE
