Le Coucou — Louis Claude Daquin

More than 25 years ago I watched a television documentary which suggested that Couperin’s “Mysterious Barricades” may contain an almost “erotic” meaning, that according to the story of the documentalist (whose name I no longer remember) suggested that the “Mysterious Barricades” were in fact women’s lace underwear, hence the “mystery” and the “barrier”. In the game of seduction, the give and take that occurs between the lovers can be represented in many ways. In this piece, the bass moves constantly and regularly, as if it were a heartbeat. The other voices move in continuous syncopation, showing a melody that almost wouldn´t exist if it were not for the interaction of the whole polyphonic framework. Perhaps it is this interaction between the “lovers” that keeps alive the flame of passion and obsession which, at least for me, this beautiful work produces.