Couperin, F.: Ordres pour clavecin Nos.7, 8, 25-27

Blandine Verlet is one of the last living legends of the harpsichord. After a few years of absence from the recording studio, she makes her debut here on the Aparte label with a program dedicated to the harpsichord music of Francois Couperin. Recorded on a sumptuous Hemsch instrument from 1751, the set includes a fascinating selection of Ordres (suites), some of which eschew the commonly used Baroque dances and substitute movements with programmatic titles such as ''Les Amusements,'' ''Les Chinois,'' ''La Convalescente'' and ''La Visionnaire.'' The cover of the disc features a highly evocative portrait of Verlet by the American painter H. Craig Hanna.