Three Studies from Couperin

In Three Studies from Couperin, Thomas Adès empathetically reworks three pieces by the Baroque composer into music that is distinctively Adès without dismissing the source material. The basic structures of harmony and duration in ‘Les Amusemens’, ‘Les Tours de Passe-passe’, and ‘L’Âme-en-Peine’ remain unchanged, but the retouching of rhythm, texture and orchestral colours reveals an enthralling music that could be no other composer.  The Three Studies has earned critical praise and popularity, having received over 200 public performances in more than 20 countries since its 2006 premiere. ‘Three Studies from Couperin, looks at the music as if through a kaleidoscope, the shattered pieces of the original tumbling around like glinting fragments of coloured glass.’   Financial Times