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Poulenc, Francis

POULENC, FRANCIS (1899 - 1963)

The French composer Francis Poulenc only undertook formal musical training with Charles Koechlin in 1921, by which time he had already become identified with Les Six, the six French composers of the circle of Jean Cocteau, including Honegger, Auric and Milhaud. Initially apparently light-weight in style, the death of a close friend in 1936 brought a new depth to his work, at the same time as the start of a long collaboration with the singer Pierre Bernac.

Stage Works
Poulenc won considerable success with his comic opera Les Mamelles de Tirésias, with a text by Apollinaire, written during the later days of the war and staged in Paris in 1947. The tragic opera Dialogue des Carmélites, with a libretto by Georges Bernanos dealing with the execution of Carmelite nuns during the French Revolution and based on Gertrud von le Fort's novel Die Letzte am Schafott (The Last on the Scaffold), has entered international repertoire. Other stage works, in addition to a number of scores of incidental music and film music, include the ballet Les Biches, first staged in Monte Carlo in 1924.

Orchestral Music
Poulenc's orchestral music includes a suite from Les biches, a charming Concert champêtre for harpsichord and small orchestra, as well as concertos for organ, for piano and for two pianos.

Choral and Vocal Music
Poulenc made a significant and idiomatic contribution to the art of French solo song, in addition to a number of choral works. His solo songs range from settings of Apollinaire and Cocteau to settings of Ronsard. His melodrama L'Histoire de Babar, for reciter and piano, tells the story of Babar the Elephant, the creation of Jean de Brunhoff, a simple tale for children. His church music, after his inner conversion to the Catholic religion of his childhood in 1935, is marked by a Mass setting of 1937, and, more notably, the moving Stabat mater of 1950. In 1959 came the Gloria, for solo soprano, chorus and orchestra, with a final more sombre Sept répons des ténèbres in 1961.

Chamber Music
French composers of the present century have shown a particular deftness in the handling of woodwind instruments. This ability is exemplified in Poulenc's sonatas for flute, for clarinet and for oboe and piano, in addition to an attractive Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano.

Piano Music
The best known of all Poulenc's music was at one time the three Mouvements perpétuels of 1918. There is a piano duet sonata of the same year and a number of attractive short pieces, including a neo-classical Suite after Claude Gervaise and the elegant Promenades.

Discography
Image	Title	Price	Release Date	Label
	Guitar Recital: Aguirre, Rafael - SOR, F. / IBERT, F. / POULENC, F. / OHANA, M. / RAUTAVAARA, E. / VILLA-LOBOS, H. / CLERCH, J. / TARREGA, F.	$8.99	Aug 26, 2008	Naxos Classics
	CHARPENTIER: Messe de minuit pour Noel / POULENC: Motets	$11.99	Jan 1, 2008	Chandos
	Poulenc: Musique de Chambre (Int�grale)	$0.00	Oct 30, 2007	Naxos Box Sets
	POULENC: Dialogues des Carmelites (La Scala, 2004) (NTSC)	$29.99	Aug 28, 2007	TDK DVD
	POULENC: Piano Sextet / FRANCAIX: L'Heure du berger / INDY: Sarabande et Menuet	$18.99	May 1, 2007	Chandos
	POULENC: Carmelites (The) (Dialogues des Carmelites) (Sung in English)	$29.99	Sep 1, 2006	Chandos
	POULENC / SZYMANOWSKI / PENDERECKI / RIHM: Stabat Mater	$16.99	Aug 16, 2005	Profil
	POULENC: Flute Sonata / MESSIAEN: Le Merle Noir / BOULEZ: Sonatine	$8.99	Mar 22, 2005	Naxos Classics
	POULENC / FAURE / DEBUSSY / SAINT-SAENS: Songs	$16.99	Jan 1, 2003	CBC Records
	POULENC: Piano Works (Complete)	$29.99	Sep 1, 2002	Chandos
	POULENC: Stabat Mater (PAL/NTSC)	$29.99	May 1, 2002	Opus Arte DVD
	POULENC / TURINA: Violin Sonatas	$16.99	Jul 1, 2001	CBC Records
	POULENC: Histoire de Babar / Leocadia	$8.99	Feb 1, 2001	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Dialogues des Carmelites (NTSC)	$29.99	Nov 1, 2000	Arthaus Dvd
	POULENC: Le Bal masque / Rapsodie negre / Elegie	$8.99	Nov 1, 2000	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Melodies	$8.99	Sep 1, 2000	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Sonata for Two Pianos / Clarinet Sonatas	$8.99	Jul 1, 2000	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Violin Sonata / Clarinet Sonata / Cello Sonata	$8.99	May 1, 2000	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Piano Music, Vol. 3	$8.99	Mar 1, 2000	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Sextet / Trio / Oboe Sonata / Flute Sonata	$8.99	Feb 1, 2000	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Piano Music, Vol. 2	$8.99	Mar 1, 1999	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Piano Music, Vol. 1	$8.99	Mar 1, 1999	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Organ Concerto / Concert Champetre	$8.99	Mar 1, 1999	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Histoire de Babar (L') / DEBUSSY: La boite a joujoux	$16.99	Sep 1, 1998	ATMA Classique
	PROKOFIEV: Peter and the Wolf / POULENC: Story of Babar / BRITTEN: Young Person's Guide to Orchestra	$8.99	Sep 12, 1997	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Gloria / Stabat Mater	$18.99	Apr 1, 1995	Chandos
	POULENC: Stabat Mater / Gloria / Litanies	$8.99	Nov 23, 1994	Naxos Classics
	POULENC: Organ Concerto / WIDOR: Organ Symphony No. 5 / GUILMANT: Organ Symphony No. 1	$18.99	Mar 1, 1994	Chandos
	DURUFLE / MILHAUD / POULENC: Sacred Choral Works	$16.99	Jun 1, 1993	CBC Records
	POULENC / RAVEL / DEBUSSY / SAINT-SAENS / ROUSSEL / MILHAUD: Works for Clarinet and Piano	$11.99	Aug 1, 1992	Chandos
	POULENC: Les biches / IBERT: Divertisseent / MILHAUD: Le Boeuf sur le toit	$18.99	Feb 1, 1992	Chandos
	SAINT-SAENS / POULENC: Clarinet Sonatas / DEBUSSY: Premiere Rapsodie / PIERNE: Canzonetta	$18.99	May 1, 1987	Chandos
	POULENC: Works for Piano Duo (Complete)	$18.99	Apr 1, 1987	Chandos

Composer also appears in: (16)
Image	Title	Price	Release Date	Label
	DISCOVER CHORAL MUSIC	$9.99	Aug 28, 2007	Naxos Educational
	The Art of The Flute	$8.99	Mar 27, 2007	Naxos Classics
	FRENCH MUSIC FOR WIND QUINTET	$8.99	Feb 22, 2005	Naxos Classics
	FRENCH BALLET MUSIC OF THE 1920S	$11.99	Feb 1, 2005	Chandos
	Art & Music: Picasso - Music of His Time	$8.99	May 1, 2003	Naxos Educational
	CHEMINS DE L'AMORE (LES)	$16.99	Oct 29, 2000	CBC Records
	IMAGES DE NOEL	$16.99	Nov 16, 1999	CBC Records
	Stabat Mater: Classical Music for Reflection and Meditation	$8.99	Jul 1, 1999	Naxos Classics
	OGDEN, Craig: Guitar Meditations	$18.99	Jun 1, 1999	Chandos
	THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS	$8.99	Oct 28, 1998	Naxos Classics
	ALBENIZ / SCARLATTI / CHOPIN / GRIEG: Salon Pieces and Encores	$16.99	Oct 1, 1997	CBC Records
	IMPRESSIONS FROM FRANCE - Works for clarinet and piano	$16.99	Oct 1, 1996	ATMA Classique
	LES SIX: Maries de la Tour Eiffel (Les)	$9.99	Apr 26, 1996	Marco Polo
	FRENCH WIND MUSIC	$18.99	Apr 1, 1995	Chandos
	FRENCH MUSIC FOR WIND ENSEMBLE	$11.99	Sep 1, 1991	Chandos
	French Violin Sonatas	$8.99	Mar 15, 1990	Naxos Classics

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