{"product_id":"le-bret-pieces-de-clavecin-1","title":"Le Bret: Pieces de Clavecin","description":"The surviving work of a mystery composer from  the late French Baroque, in a new recording by a  highly accomplished young early-music  keyboardist.  Nothing is known of Le Bret beyond the volume of  keyboard pieces reproduced here, which analysis  of both musical style and ancillary details has  dated to the 1730s or 1740s. Whoever he was, Le  Bret was clearly inspired by François Couperin and  Jean-Philippe Rameau, and his style is comparable  to that of the harpsichordists who followed in  their footsteps between 1720 and 1740, such as  Jean-François Dandrieu, François d'Agincourt,  Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Bernard de Bury and  Jacques Duphly in his first two books.  Like them, Le Bret alternates dances and character  pieces. On the other hand, he makes no  concessions to the taste for pastoral and country  music, does not seem influenced by opera music,  and does not overdo descriptive effects  and virtuosity. All in all, Le Bret remains  faithful to the subtle and poetic language  of the harpsichord; as he says in his  preface, he has 'always endeavored in  composing them to adorn them with the  most graceful songs, knowing from our  most illustrious masters that this is the  beauty of this instrument.' As Simone El  Oufir Pierini observes in his booklet essay  for this album, one evident example of Le  Bret's knowledge of 'our most illustrious  masters' arises in the piece titled  L'Embarassante, a stylish homage to Les  Cyclopes by Rameau.  Born in Rome in 1996, Simone El Oufir  Pierini studied piano at the conservatoire  of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa  Cecilia. Developing a particular interest in  historically informed piano practice, he  attended masterclasses led by Alexei Lubimov  and Andreas Staier, before undertaking  specialised study of harpsichord and basso  continuo with such teachers as Andrea Coen and  Giovanni Togni. He has made several wellreceived albums for Brilliant Classics, both solo  and with colleagues.","brand":"Brilliant Classics","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49709710508312,"sku":"5028421969305","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/4344102-3187710.jpg?v=1777503475","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/le-bret-pieces-de-clavecin-1","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}