Pièces de clavecin, Premier Livre, 1759 Korneel Bernolet

• Pièces de clavecin, Premier Livre, 1759 (Claude-Bénigne Balbastre)
• 1 La De Caze. Ouverture 04:59
• 2 La D’héricourt 05:53
• 3 La Ségur. Gavotte 03:56
• 4 La Monmartel ou la Brunoys 03:05
• 5 La Boullongne 06:42
• 6 La Castelmore. Air Champêtre 04:18
• 7 La Courteille. Air 03:05
• 8 La Bellaud 03:57
• 9 La Lamarck. Ouverture 04:39
• 10 La Berville. Gavotte 05:20
• 11 La Lugeac. Giga 03:21
• 12 La Suzanne 03:40
• 13 La Genty. Badine 02:17
• 14 La Malesherbe. Ariette Gracieuse — Air Gay 06:05
• 15 La Berryer ou la Lamoignon. Rondeau 03:35
• 16 La Laporte 03:24
• 17 La Morisseau 06:11
• Total Runtime 01:14:27

Info for Pièces de clavecin, Premier Livre, 1759

Claude-Bénigne Balbastre enjoyed a very distinguished reputation as a harpsichordist, fortepianist and organist in eighteenth-century France. Born in Dijon in 1724, in his early years he most likely took music lessons from his good friend Claude Rameau, brother of the more famous Jean-Philippe, with whom Balbastre was later to study composition.

Balbastre’s royal and aristocratic connections were to prove an embarrassment during the French Revolution. He managed to save both his own skin and the organ of Notre-Dame by playing militant atheist songs and folk music in the renamed Temple de la Raison, including his own arrangement of the Marseillaise. This was however in the end not enough to prevent him losing his position and his pension. He died in penury in 1799.

Balbastre’s Pièces de Clavecin from 1759 are influenced on the one hand by his royal and aristocratic patrons, and on the other by his contacts among the bourgeoisie, finding a stylistic balance between the two social classes. All the movements are character pieces dedicated either to members of the nobility, or to artists or other highly-placed individuals from the Parisian upper middle classes. The elevated style of French noblesse and grandeur are mirrored in the opening numbers.

'Among the younger generation of baroque musicians in Belgium, the name Korneel Bernolet is one to be watched. He is an extremely fluent player gifted with indefatigable concentration, a natural talent!' (Sigiswald Kuijken)

Korneel Bernolet, harpsichord

Recorded, November 19, 20 & 21 2012
Produced by Jos Boerland
Recording, editing and mastering by Jos Boerland

Korneel Bernolet
Korneel Bernolet (b. 1989) is active as both a harpsichordist and a conductor. At the age of 19, he made his début with La Petite Bande (Sigiswald Kuijken). From then onwards, he is regularly invited as a soloist or ensemble player with a.o. Scherzi Musicali (Nicolas Achten), B’Rock, cantoLX (Frank Agsteribbe), Mannheimer Hofkapelle (Florian Heyerick) and Musica Favola (Stephan Van Dyck), besides Ensemble Apotheosis, which he founded and directs himself. As a respected continuo player, he took part in recordings for broadcast, CD and television for the labels Accent, Ricercar, Alpha, Musique en Wallonie, Klara, Musiq3, France Musique, Mezzo...

Thus far, he has appeared in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy and Spain. After completion of his piano studies with Paul Clcment, Korneel has enjoyed his harpsichord training with highest honors (summa cum laude) at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp in the class of Ewald Demeyere on the famous Dulcken 1747 harpsichord (Museum Vleeshuis). Simultaneously, he refined his playing through mastercourses at the Amsterdam Conservatoire (NL) with Gustav Leonhardt and Menno Van Delft, the Académie Baroque de Lanvellec (F) with Frédérick Haas and Erwan Le Prado (historical improvisation) and several times at the Piccola Accademia di Montisi (I) with Jesper Bøje Christensen and, in particular, Christophe Rousset.

As a conductor, Korneel was allowed participation at the highest level of the international Kurt Thomas Course in Utrecht (NL) at the age of 18. Having followed mastercourses with Daan Admiraal and Georg Grün, he was selected to conduct choir and orchestra during the final concert. He is currently completing his Master’s degree with Geert Hendrix and Luc Anthonis at the Antwerp Conservatoire, where he will graduate at the end of June 2013. From January 2011 on, he is principal conductor of the reknowned Bruges choir Vagantes Morborum. Korneel is regularly in charge as a baroque and early- classical repertoire coach with prominent vocal soloists. In 2008, Korneel conducted the Nederlands Wind Ensemble (NBE) in orchestral work of his own writing and led Haendel dance productions at the Antwerp Conservatoire (2009 and 2011).

He assisted Frank Agsteribbe in 2010 with B’Rock at the Gergiev Festival (NL) and the Klarafestival (B) in Claire Croizés dance production ‘Vor deinem Thron’, during the same year he also was assistent-director to Ewald Demeyere in the Flemish opera production ‘De Signôor in China’ (c.1760) by J.T. Baustetter at the Antwerp Conservatoire. He conducted the continental creation of ‘The Death of Dido’ (1716) by J.C. Pepusch in eight performances during the Ghent Festivity. For January 2013 he is reappointed assistent to Ewald Demeyere in J.C. Bach’s ‘Artaserse’ at the Antwerp Conservatoire. Korneel obtained the degree of Master of Music with highest honors (summa cum laude), as well as final levels in harmony, counterpoint and fugue. On completion of his harpsichord studies, he was engaged at the Artesis University College (departement Royal Conservatoire) as guest professor of ‘practical harmony and improvisation’ and harpsichord accompanist. He also teaches harpsichord at the academy of Alost. A researcher at the Antwerp Conservatoire Library, his passion for music typography results in the editing and high quality typesetting of music scores.

Korneel is equally active as a recording engineer, offering his experienced ears and technical knowledge to classical musicians. In March 2008, Korneel obtained a first prize at the ‘Dexia Classics’ competition.

In November 2010, he was awarded the first ‘ARTos Muziekprijs’ for ‘special artistic achievements’. Korneel is ‘artist in residence’ at vzw SWUK Vlaanderen during the concert season 2012-2013. As ‘Laureat 2013’ of this organisation, he will be recording his first solo disc with ‘Pièces de clavecin’ (1759) by Claude-Bénigne Balbastre on his magnificent Hemsch 1736 copy by Augusto Bonza (collection Korneel Bernolet), to be released through Aliud Records around spring 2013.

Booklet for Pièces de clavecin, Premier Livre, 1759