Surprisingly‚ there is currently no other complete recording on period instruments of the set of 10 instrumental suites which Couperin published in 1724 under the title ‘Les goûts­réünis’ – ‘the styles reunited’. Also known as the Nouveaux Concerts‚ they were a generous follow­up to the composer’s earlier set of four Concerts Royaux‚ and like them consisted of some of the pieces Couperin had composed to perform at the Sunday chamber concerts at court during the last years of the life of Louis XIV. The atmosphere of these occasions‚ in which the musicians outnumbered the audience – the world­weary King and his pious wife Madame de Maintenon – can only be guessed‚ but whatever Louis’ mood‚ his musical discernment has never been questioned; this is music of unerring grace and refinement. Couperin’s title was an ambitious one‚ implying a fusion of those rival Baroque tastes‚ the Italian and the French. But although there are signs here of the Italians’ mixture of melodic adventure and structural logic‚ these pieces never sound anything other than French for long – not while there are so many sweetly turned ornaments and affecting little tunes to be heard. The same might be said of the performances on this two­disc set. Christophe Rousset must be one of the most French of French Baroque musicians‚ and surely few others can be more at home in this repertoire. On this occasion he and his group make not a single false move‚ with ornaments convincingly assumed into the line‚ inégales supple and natural‚ and all 59 pieces executed with expert taste and poise. With none of them lasting longer than four minutes and most being for one melody instrument and bass‚ the decision to vary the instrumentation from movement to movement is surely a wise one; Couperin made only vague specifications‚ but we know that those court concerts involved a number of instrumentalists‚ so for the top lines Les Talens Lyriques employ at different times violins‚ oboe (usually accompanied by bassoon)‚ flute and bass viols. Bucking one modern trend‚ however‚ they keep the continuo accompaniment fairly basic‚ never using more (and often less) than a harpsichord‚ a lute and a bass viol. The instrumental playing from all members of the group is utterly reliable and musical throughout‚ though I might single out the loose­limbed violin of François Fernandez (try ‘La Douceur’ from the Ninth Concert) and some exquisite bass viol duetting from Philippe Pierlot and Rainer Zipperling in the ‘Plainte’ from the Tenth‚ with gloriously minimal harpsichord accompaniment. My one reservation is that everything sounds a touch serious‚ sometimes even rather gloomy. Would this really have cheered up the old King?