Pavane in F# minor

Standalone pavane in F# minor — Louis Couperin's most famous single piece and one of the most extraordinary keyboard works of the 17th century. Written in the stately duple meter of the Renaissance pavane, it is marked by a devastating harmonic boldness: the unexpected chromatic turns, the long-held dissonances, and the sense of profound, restrained grief give the piece a unique emotional weight. It is measured (unlike the preludes) but deeply improvisatory in spirit.