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.