Best of luck to harpsichordist Bertrand Cuiller. This disc marks the start of a projected complete Couperin keyboard series. It won’t be easy, since it means covering the 27 ordres over four books, totalling more than 220 pieces.

Cuiller’s programming for this disc is solid, though slightly baffling. He calls it a “curtain-raiser” and says that the pieces he plays here all focus on the theatre, explicitly or otherwise. While I’ll admit to being a little stumped by his logic behind the theatrical connections (quite how Les Pavots – The Poppies – relates to the theatre…), it’s nonetheless a charming start to the survey.

When I first sat...