Poulenc!...Nice!

Yeah, I'm kind of loving Poulenc right now...check out his Concerto for Piano....it's got a great theme in the allegro (mysterious, mischievous, and so, just, awesome :o), a soothing one in the andante, and a fun and energetic Rondo.

I think he's got a great, rather unique style. Kind of a blend between classical, romantic, and modern (mostly romantic, I suppose).

Sorry, I couldn't find a link to the concerto....but please, look it up, and more of his works ;). I love what he does with his wind and wind/piano pieces.

Yeah, he loved winds, apparently...

Oh, and please listen to his Organ Concerto :huh:...

Have you heard the flute concerto by Poulenc? Very very nice...especially the third movement, technical. Sorry, got a bit carried off there, hope you don't mind.

Hmm....the recording I heard of the organ concerto was pretty decent, though iTunes always seems to screw up the artists of the CDs I import so I'll have to search for the case (the overdue case from the library :musicwhistle:..)

Also, after listening to the Piano Concerto a second time, to write down my thoughts on it (and if I had the score, I'd read along as well:() I must recommend it again :toothygrin:. I absolutely LOVE the main theme (and the way it's implemented, of course).

Also, his Sextet for piano and winds is outstanding. A true winds GENIUS :angry:! Ah, gotta love those flute flutters...

Yes, one of my favorite recording of Poulenc's flute concerto, by William Bennett. Listen to his tone and color that he chooses to use in each movements, very delicate and flowy. There are other great recordings, i just can't think of one right now, get back to you guys later.

Have you heard the flute concerto by Poulenc? Very very nice...especially the third movement, technical. Sorry, got a bit carried off there, hope you don't mind.

um, there IS no "flute concerto" by Poulenc...

it's an orchestration after the fact (by a person named Lennox Berkeley, and on request of James Galway) of his Sonate pour flute. This was actually done after Poulenc's death.

As far as I know, there are only concerti for organ, piano, and harpsichord:

[*]Concerto pour orgue, cordes et timbales

[*]Concerto pour piano

[*]Concerto pour deux pianos (2 pianos)

[*]Aubade (a ballet score, but in the form of a loose piano concerto)

[*]Concert Champ

oh..oops, maybe I was wrong, never played it, only sight read it, and didnt pay attention to the title :thumbsup:

But ya.. you know, 3 movements, I thought it was a concerto. My mistake.

it's an incredible sonata... I've performed it dozens of times (as the pianist). It's easy to see why it's such a standard in the flute repertoire.

I DO think it's a shame the piano concerto hasn't caught on in the same way. It's a bi*** to play! so it is certainly good "virtuoso" repertoire.

The ballet, Aubade, I mentionned is another wonderful piece, and sadly, with very few recordings. It sort of functions like a mini piano concerto.

Poulenc's music is one of those that you either love or hate. And it CAN after a while start to grate on the nerves with some repetitive turns of phrase and harmonic tricks he re-uses. My only complaint is that to my inner ear, it can sometimes lack depth.

I like his piano concerto for two pianos and his organ concerto. Interesting works :D

His Organ Concerto is definitely my favourite in the Organ Concerto repetoire. It is constantly inventive and carries that big Organ sound so effectively. In places towards the end I swear he's about to jump into one of the Final Fantasy VI themes.

I really haven't heard much else by him that I like, but the Organ Concerto keeps him in my collection.

*beep* I've just discovered this guy. He's amazing! The Harpsichord concerto is such an evocative, witchy (yes, witchy) piece. I'd also recommend the piano concerto, organ concerto and the french suite for winds. Check out his piano works as well - the humoresque is adorable.

I think his suite "Model Animals" for orchestra (the actual name's in french but I can't for the life of me remember it) is really cool. He's definitely worth a listen for those who don't know him.

I think his suite "Model Animals" for orchestra (the actual name's in french but I can't for the life of me remember it) is really cool. He's definitely worth a listen for those who don't know him.

Les Animaux Mod

Can anyone recommend any youtuve I can check out? Not heard of this guy before.

just register at naxos.com (the record label) and you can hear excerpts of everything in their catalogue, including lots of Poulenc.

Classical Music - classical cds, dvd, compositions & classical music buying guide from Naxos.com

Thanks Michel :wub: I look forward to hearing some of this guy's work.

Does anyone know if Poulenc was frequently drunk/stoned while writing music? A few aspects of his music - most notably the cubist overall shape of some of his pieces and his somewhat ''maverick'' phrase layout - leads me to believe that he used such surrealist methods deliberately. It is a very intriguing thought... :) I'll have to pick up a biography.

I continue to be taken in by his music, by the way! The Piano concerto is really growing on me.

I don't know about drunk or stoned... but he was gay... hehe, that much I know.

oh well.

I don't know about drunk or stoned... but he was gay... hehe, that much I know.

oh well.

...:huh:

I remember playing a really nice cello and piano piece by him a while back.

I think i need to listen to more of his stuff.

any suggestions?

Yeah, you should dig into this guy.. He really does stimulate your imagination. Try the harpsichord concerto (Concert champetre/rural concerto) for starters.

Thanks. Ill have a search now....

You MUST hear the Oboe Sonata. The first movement is beautiful, the second evocative and playful, and the third, JUST PLAIN FRICKIN AWESOME!

I, too, am a Poulenc fan. Several points of fact:

He was a member of Les Six, a coalition of French composers (the other two well-known members were Arthur Honegger and Darius Milhaud), who were all modernists and moved to reject the voluptuous romanticism of Wagner and the other romantics. They followed Stravinsky's example, and you can hear his influence in many of Poulenc's works (cf. Gloria)

Unrelated, Poulenc quit being gay somewhat when he rejoined the Catholic church in the... 1940's, I believe. He was a devout catholic from then on to his death, and a Christmas-Easter sort of catholic before then. It was this conversion that led him to write his choral masterpieces Gloria, Stabat Mater, and the opera Dialogues des Carmelites (which was my first exposure to his music, and is absolutely divine--I saw it on Closing Night at the Chicago Lyric Opera this March, with Isabel Bayrakdarian as Blanche de la Force).

Every Poulenc fan needs to listen to Carmelites, flat-out, in particular the third act. Kent Nagano directed a great recording that's available on iTunes. It too is like Poulenc's music in general--love it or hate it.

You can't ''quit'' being gay. Silly poulenc.