RAMEAU, Jean-Philippe Pièces pour orgue à quatre mains ou deux clavecins

Like his contemporary Johann Sebastian Bach, Jean-Philippe Rameau reused his inspirations over and over again. Rameau himself gave us, almost three centuries later, an irresistible desire to contribute our own transcriptions.

We therefore opted for a return to the sources, working from the available original editions or manuscripts to make our own transcriptions. Having four hands gave us the possibility of orchestrating the music on several sound levels, above all without sacrificing any musical line.

This project resulted in the release in 2019 of a CD, “Le Rameau d’Olivier” (Ligia Digital label), recorded on the famous Isnard organ (1774) of the Basilica at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume (Var), recently restored by the workshop of Pascal Quoirin. This historic instrument is ideal for this music: almost contemporary with Jean-Philippe Rameau, it offers both the authenticity of sound and the power that were needed for such a performance using twenty fingers. 

Olivier Vernet et Cédric Meckler

Pour orgue à quatre mains