Jacques Duphly: Révélations – Iori Hayashi

For his first album on the Paraty label, Iori Hayashi has dedicated a program to Jacques Duphly, conceived as an intimate journey through the world of one of the greatest masters of the 18th-century French harpsichord. With “Révélations”, he brings together fourteen pieces drawn from the four volumes of “Pièces de clavecin” published between 1744 and 1768, showcasing the full range of Duphly’s artistry: the legacy of the French tradition, character portraits, theatrical intensity, ornamental tenderness, instrumental brilliance, and inner depth. The album’s title refers to a defining experience: in the booklet, Iori Hayashi describes his discovery of this music as a moment of revelation that drew him to the harpsichord with an almost existential force. This personal journey resonates with that of Duphly himself, who abandoned his career as an organist in Normandy to settle in Paris and devote himself entirely to the harpsichord. The album thus takes shape as the convergence of two paths, united by a shared inner conviction. From “Médée” to “Les Grâces”, from “La Victoire” to “La de Chamlay”, this program highlights the expressive richness of a composer in whose work dance, portraiture, virtuosity, and poetic invention reach a rare degree of mastery. Recorded at Studio Sequenza in March 2025 on a harpsichord by Marc Ducornet modeled after a Ruckers-Taskin, “Révélations” offers not so much an anthology as a deeply immersive journey into Duphly’s world.