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When you are young, when you look at Everest, you tell yourself that one day you will climb it.
You have to prepare for it, but above all, one day, you have to go.
For me, Everest is Bach's work. Les Goldberg Variations are no exception to this comparison. Although impressive, they are not necessarily more difficult to approach than other integrals such as Partitas, which I recorded at the age of 25. What makes Goldberg a true Everest is their atypical nature: a work of more than an hour long, without pause, and above all, the weight of the many striking interpretations that preceded them. This poses a key question: Why address the Goldberg today as part of a recording?
Before recording this masterpiece, I worked for a long time on the sequences and the subtle links between the variations. My objective was to unite certain pieces by their character, not only through the tempo but also through the registration of the harpsichord. Like a group of Scarlatti sonatas, I sought to build coherent blocks, which transformed my initial vision of interpretation.
To maintain this coherence, some variations are played more quickly, with a particular approach to the registers, such as Plein Jeu (4 feet), rarely used in this context. I also avoided systematizing the highlights at the end of the variations, which allowed me to maintain fluidity and an internal block structure.
This approach gives the work a new lease of life. Thanks to a careful choice of Tempi, it reveals a new look to certain pieces, thus renewing the listening and the emotion they arouse. Bruno Procopio
Since my childhood, Rameau's music has animated and inspired me. Her beauty, her harmonic audacity and her orchestral richness have always resonated with me, far beyond her harpsichord works. After years spent conducting his operas in specialized ensembles and symphony orchestras, one thing became obvious: an orchestra dedicated exclusively to Rameau was needed.
That's how it was born Le Jeune Orchestre Rameau, an orchestral laboratory of excellence, bringing together 53 musicians playing on period instruments — as at the Royal Academy of Music in 1750 — to recreate with authenticity the power and the finesse of its musical language. The orchestra, of international stature, brings together talents from more than 22 countries and benefits from the support of Rameau Publishing (Opera Omnia), thus paving the way for the rediscovery of new works.
Our first album, War and Peace, was acclaimed by critics, receiving the Record Excellence Award and being among the Best albums of the year 2021 according to the magazine Scherzo (Spain). This ambitious project would not have been possible without the essential support of Sylvie Bouissou (CNRS), director of Rameau Publishing, as well as major European conservatories and the Venezuelan orchestras system.
With Le Jeune Orchestre Rameau, we are opening a new page in musical history, where tradition and rediscovery meet to promote one of the greatest geniuses of the 18th century. Bruno Procopio
Second album by the Jeune Orchestre Rameau, under my direction and of course on the harpsichord.
This recording is dedicated to Harpsichord pieces in concerts, adapted as a sextet in a version whose handwritten scores date back to 1768.
Rediscovered in the library of Decroix, a passionate collector of the works of Jean-Philippe Rameau, this fascinating music takes on a new dimension with the Jeune Orchestre Rameau.
I chose to extend this training to 12 musicians, thus bringing a More symphonic key to the whole. I also reintroduced the concerto harpsichord part of the original version, infusing the rooms with renewed vivacity and brilliance.
A vibrant tribute to Rameau, between tradition and reinterpretation.
Bruno Procopio
The Soloists of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela invited me to lead a program entirely dedicated to Jean-Philippe Rameau. For these Venezuelan musicians, the discovery of French Baroque music was a fascinating adventure, marking their first foray into the French classical repertoire of the 18th century.
Above all, I wanted Arouse curiosity musicians from the orchestra for a repertoire that they would probably never have discovered by themselves. I also wanted to work with an orchestra that did not have no experience with French Baroque music, in order to build a musical identity starting from scratch. This process allowed me to explore my own vision of this music with a symphonic background. To my great satisfaction, I found an incredibly fertile ground.
I remember that one day, during a rehearsal break, a musician came up to me and whispered: “Maestro, it's the most beautiful music I've ever played!”
I could not have asked for a better reward.
This recording received enthusiastic critical acclaim. He was awarded the prestigious SHOCK from the magazine Classica, the magazine Diapason Awarded to him 5 stars. Finally, he was elected “Best record of the week” through Le Figaro and British radio Classic FM. Bruno Procopio
My first album Rameau: an unforgettable adventure
What a beautiful journey this album, full of indelible memories! After having performed these works fifty times in concert around the world, alongside the greatest French and foreign soloists, I decided to record them with some exceptional stage companions: Patrick Bismuth on the violin, Francois Lazarevich with German flutes and Emmanuelle Guigues in viola da gamba.
To enrich this program, I have also added excerpts from the Suite en la (1726/27) Taken from New suites of harpsichord pieces. A vibrant tribute to Rameau, born from a shared passion for this luminous and abundant music.
I had the pleasure of recording this album on my Sublime Ruckers harpsichord, built by the postman Kilström. This exceptional instrument allowed me to play with total confidence, offering a musical result that is both natural and exuberant. I am very happy with the rendering of this recording, which shows my deep attachment to this music.
Bruno Procopio
When the Festival Semana de Música Religiosa de Cuenca invited me to direct a series of programs devoted to Brazilian colonial and imperial music, I immediately seized the opportunity to propose a concert and a recording of Missa Grande of Marcos Portugal, the most iconic and prolific of Portuguese-Brazilian composers.
One of the highlights of this project was Check-in at the majestic Cathedral of Cuenca, on his sumptuous organ recently restored, an instrument built by Julián de la Orden, contemporary with the composition of the work. This historical element confers on the interpretation a unique authenticity, sublimating all the sonic richness of this music.
Passionate about the musical repertoire of my country of origin, I particularly want to promote Marcos Portugal, a true genius still too unknown to the general public. This recording highlights a rare version of Missa Grande, with Concertant organ, the most played and broadcast throughout the Americas during the colonial period.
I had the privilege of collaborating on this recording with leading soloists and the L'Échelle Choir. Bruno Procopio
I had the great pleasure of playing the game ofConcertante organ as well as produce this exceptional album.
Marcos Portugal is unquestionably the Greatest Portuguese-Brazilian composer of all time. Known in Europe for its numerous operas, he devoted most of his late works to Sacred music. His complete repertoire, written for Royal Chapel of Rio de Janeiro, includes 130 compositions, including monumental works.
Among them, This masterful work, composed in Rio de Janeiro in 1811 and recorded by the Turicum Ensemble, is the composer's first sacred work to have been successfully restored by musicologists.
Marcos Portugal Led a brilliant career, which is also well illustrated in Europe Only in the New World. After passing Ten years to compose of Sacred music and operas At portugal, it is installed in italy, where he is experiencing an intense period of six and a half years. During this stay, he composed twenty-two operas, who know a unprecedented success : their Productions number in the hundreds and performances in the thousands.
A duo, an encounter, a recording.
This recording of Sonatas for viola and harpsichord of Johann Sebastian Bach is the culmination of a long partnership with his music. With Emmanuelle Guigues, we wanted to bring these works to life by exploring them in a new light, driven by years of research and interpretation.
This project is part of a key moment in our respective careers. For me, it follows on from The complete Partitas for harpsichord, an intense work that led me to deepen Bach's musical subject day after day.
But this project might never have seen the light of day without a decisive encounter: that of two exceptional instruments. The discovery of a Solomon's Viola (1741, private collection) And of Couchet-Blanchet-Taskin harpsichord (collection) Kenneth Gilbert) was a real trigger.
Making them available to us was decisive: these instruments Speak for themselves, dialogue with a rare presence and expressiveness, revealing in an unprecedented light this A directory of immeasurable wealth.
Bruno Procopio
Redéfinir l'expression musicale
Alors que la musique baroque est aujourd’hui redevenue quasi populaire, inondant à la fois le marché du disque classique et les salles de concert, elle peine encore à se défaire de certaines idées reçues. Entre le cliché de la musique de table, supposée n’être qu’un fond sonore pour un prince distrait, celui de la musique publiée en série, destinée aux dilettantes, ou encore l’image des opéras seria par milliers, prétendument victimes des codes vains et des goûts superficiels de leur époque, il semble difficile d’imaginer que la musique du XVIIIᵉ siècle ait pu véritablement rechercher une profondeur d’expression.
Aucun compositeur ne bouscule mieux cette vision erronée que Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.
Pour moi, ce recueil de sonates est sans doute l’un des plus importants du compositeur, et même de toute la première moitié du XVIIIᵉ siècle. Édité par C.P.E. Bach lui-même, il représente un véritable défi pour l’interprète, tant par sa virtuosité que par son intensité expressive.
J’ai préparé cette intégrale comme aucun autre album. Après plus de 30 concerts à travers le monde, je peux dire que ces œuvres comptent parmi mes préférées pour le clavecin.
Bruno Procopio
In this new album, “Portrait of Iris”, dedicated to François Couperin, I wanted to explore different facets of his musical universe that are particularly dear to me. AlongsideEmmanuelle Guigues and Sylvia Abramowicz In the viola da gamba, of Rémi Cassaigne on theorbo and baroque guitar, and myself on harpsichord, we have put together a program that highlights all the richness and sensitivity of his writing.
This album brings together The two suites for viola da gamba and basso continuo, the 14th Royal Concert, as well as Harpsichord pieces, thus offering an intimate and contrasting look at Couperin's work. This project is a continuation of the album that Emmanuelle Guigues and I dedicated to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, thus continuing our journey through the masterpieces of the Baroque repertoire.
I had the chance to record this album on the Sublime 1748 Collèsse harpsichord, beautifully restored by Laurent Soumagnac. This exceptional instrument brought a unique color and expressiveness to this interpretation, revealing all the finesse and poetry of Couperin's music.
Bruno Procopio
I have a very specific memory of this album: Opus 1 from the Paraty label, which I founded in 2006. This project was marked by An icy chapel, a Sublime harpsichord loaned by my teacher and friend Pierre Hantaï, and long procedures to give birth to a Independent record label.
It was a demanding adventure, but here is a record that I am Deeply proud. The temerity of youth is there and, let's be honest, I hope to keep it all my life...
Les Six Partitas for harpsichord form, with the French suites And the English suites, the trilogy of major keyboard suites by Johann Sebastian Bach. Published by the composer himself between 1726 and 1731 unto leipzig, they constitute his Opus 1, grouped under the title of Clavier-Übung.
Two Opus 1 who dialogue... Was it a sign? I like to think that I chose the best program to bring a good omen to the emerging label. Long live Bach, and why not... long live the Paraty label!
Bruno Procopio
A first founding Opus
Here I am, just out of the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, with the Bach partitas in the fingers. Yes, I even tried my luck at Leipzig Bach Competition ! Without a first prize in my pocket, but with these masterpieces in my luggage, I knocked on the door of all labels.
The answer was unanimous: “How? Do you want to start in the world of recording with the Partitas?”
A general refusal... but I found the solutions by founding my own label. This entrepreneurial initiative, born out of necessity, has since led Countless albums, and even today, my colleagues thank me.
It was my first foray into the recording world : a few shots, almost without assembly, but a welcome Warm from the press, in Europe as elsewhere.
Life is good... and with Bach, even more so.
Bruno Procopio