Couperin’s Trois Leçons de Ténèbres - Brooklyn Telemann Fall 2022

Brooklyn Telemann Chamber Society Presents:
François Couperin’s “Trois Leçons de Ténèbres” (Three Lessons of Darkness) (c.1714) performance recording Oct 23, 2022


Starring:
Hannah Shanefield - soprano
Liz Kiger - soprano
Nicola Canzano - harpsichord

00:00 Premiere Leçon
08:10 Seconde Leçon
13:48 Troisième Leçon

Directed by Liz Kiger
Graphic Design: James Wigger
Hosted by the Emerging Artists Theatre’s Fall 2022 New Work Series: NY, NY.
Brooklyntelemann.com

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François Couperin’s Trois Leçons de Ténèbres (Three Lessons of Darkness) (c.1714) were written at the musical shift at beginning of the 18th century, where extravagant large scale sacred works gave way to more moderately scored pieces. Very few of François Couperin’s (1668-1733) sacred works have survived. Trois Leçons were most likely written for the abbey of Longchamp (a fashionable substitute venue during the Lenten season for Parisian opera audiences) and performed for Maundy Thursday services with well-known soloists. In France, the tradition of singing these lamentations was common during Holy Week, with versions of this text set by composers such as Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704) and Nicolas Bernier (1664-1734).

This text (performed today in French Latin with Arabic interspersed) are some of the most desolate versus of the Old Testament, written as reaction to Nebuchadnezzar’s siege of Jerusalem in 589 BC. The first two Leçons are for solo soprano voice, with the final movement a duet. They vary between declamatory recitative and arioso, in the style of Tragedie Lyrique. Their rich harmonic language creates an intense emotionally charged atmosphere, very reflective of the Lamentations of Jeremiah.

Brooklyn Telemann Chamber Society is excited at the opportunity to reinterpret this work for a modern audience, by using the same Old Testament text to shed light on the sieges that are currently happening in Gaza. The long, hypnotically melismatic chants that originally were the numbers of each lesson have been replaced by the Arabic names of areas of Palestine, in order to reflect the mournful wailing of both the country and its people. Proceeds from the ticket sales as well as the donation page on Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund’s website go directly to supporting this organization that is providing vital care to children in Gaza and the West Bank.

We at BTCS want to thank you for your support for this project.