Poulenc: Piano Music, Vol. 2

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Cat No: 8553930

Release Date: 12 January 1999

Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 730099493024

Genres: Classical

Composer/Series: POULENC

Description
Francis Poulenc(1899-1963) Piano Music, Volume 2Francis Poulenc was born on 7th January 1899 in Paris into a well-to-dofamily. His father and two of his brothers were successful businessmen in thewell-known Poulenc pharmaceutical company. His mother was a skilled amateurpianist and her son's first piano teacher. While his father insisted on a soundclassical education for his son, the boy's obvious musical talent could not beignored. Reminiscing many years later, Poulenc recalled his one childhood passion,to play the piano, and the present of a child's piano when he was five. By 1915he determined to undertake serious study of the instrument and began lessonswith the eccentric virtuoso and family friend Ricardo Vines. It was the latterwho introduced him, about a year later, to Erik Satie and it was through Vinesthat he met a composer of his own age, Georges Auric, who became his life-longfriend. Vines's ideas about the use of the piano pedals made a strongimpression on Poulenc, who later gave forthright expression to his opinions onthe matter: "The use of the pedals is the great secret of my piano music(and the lack of it often its downfall). They will never use enough pedal!Never enough!" Many years later Poulenc wrote: "I owe him everything...It is really to Vines that I owe my first flights in music and everything Iknow about the piano". He quickly became an excellent pianist, a virtuosowith a highly personal technique, often performing his own compositions, bothas a soloist and accompanist, and as late as 1957 his recordings of Satie'spiano music were awarded a prize by the Academie Charles Cross.Poulenc wrote his first piano compositions in early 1917. After WorldWar I he returned to the study of music, although he remained in the Frencharmy until after the Armistice. In 1919 concert audiences first heard hisquickly popular three Mouvements perpetuels. Around the year 1920 thecritic Henri Collet grouped together Auric and Poulenc, with Milhaud, Honegger,Durey and Tailleferre, as Les Six. It was soon after this that Poulencsought further instruction and in 1921 he became a pupil of the composerCharles Koechlin, an excellent teacher, who well understood how to develop theparticular qualities of a student, advising his pupils to avoid theexaggeration of romanticism without sacrificing depth of feeling.In 1924 Sergey Dyagilev commissioned from Poulenc the score Lesbiches ('The Does') for the Ballets russes. The work was a greatsuccess, praised by one critic for its exquisite score, ironic twists andtraditional elegance of thought. Many works followed, the Concert champ?¬tre,the Concerto for two pianos, the Mass in G major, songs,chamber music and, of course, more piano pieces. During World War II, after hisdischarge from the army to which he had again been conscripted, Poulenc choseto identify himself with resistance to the German occupation by musical means.His compositions from this period include a violin sonata dedicated to thememory of the Sp
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