Given that she has always tended to treat every gavotte and minuet that comes her way as crisp little character pieces, Mitzi Meyerson would seem an ideal interpreter for François Couperin. In these four Ordres (or suites) from his last book of pieces, published in 1730, the territory ranges from the grandeur of ‘La trophée’ to the tenderness of ‘Le point du jour’, and from the rusticisms of ‘La croûilli’ to the theatrical good humour of ‘La pantomime’.

Meyerson does indeed find her own way in each of the 25 pieces, delivering interpretations that are decisive, strong-minded and unafraid to play for effect. Phrasing and rhetoric are emphasised with fearless though smoothly controlled variations in tempo, and registration and spiky articulation are likewise put to good expressive use; a typical touch is to toy with the ending, as in the throwaway final note of the 26th Ordre’s Gavotte, or the coy trip up the octave in ‘Les tambourins’.

Such things are to be expected from one of the most distinctive harpsichordists around, though the downside is, of course, that it will not appeal to everyone. Her quirkiness can be endearing but with her strong fingers and tendency not to employ spread chords and other rhythmic dislocations as much as some of her colleagues, her playing can acquire a ‘big’ and percussive quality; some may find themselves wishing for a touch more lyrical poetry. This is not definitive Couperin then – how could anyone’s be? – but its expertise and lively imagination certainly repay hearing.