Poulenc: Chansons françaises

Although Poulenc’s choral works have been steadily climbing in the public’s estimation over the last few years, they have not yet won the status that the composer himself felt that they deserved.

This reissue appears to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Netherlands Chamber Choir. It is without a doubt the best recording the choir ever made. Both CD's received rave reviews in the French press when they first appeared. Under the inspiring direction of Eric Ericson the choir gives unearthly performances. Combining both the Sacred and the Secular choral works, this reissue is a true monument for the artistry of Poulenc. The absolute peak on this CD is the recording of La figure humaine – a piece Poulenc wrote to a text by Paul Eluard who depicts the horrors of war and the universal longing for freedom: Liberté!

The CD comes at a special price: 2 CD's for the price of 1 midprice!

Marking the difference between them, this disc offers an insight into Poulenc’s return to religion with his sacred music for a cappella choir, juxtaposed with Poulenc as a humanist; his secular music for a cappella choir. Performed by the excellent Netherlands Chamber Choir and conducted by Eric Ericson, this disc is a fascinating survey of Poulenc’s choral works.

OUR Recordings is proud to announce the release of this great choir music by Francis Poulenc, which is standard repertoire for all professional choirs. On this release Stephen Layton and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, put together a program representing both Poulenc`s secular and sacred choral music.

This cd is launched in connection to the much praised release of The Nightingale: “New Nordic Music for Recorder and Choir” (2011) with Michala Petri and Danish National Vocal Ensemble. One further CD is planned for next year.

Poulenc was a man of contradictions. The traditionalists called him a modernist, the modernists called him old-fashioned. The contradictions were almost glaring: a declared homosexual and devout Catholic in the first half of the twentieth century! Courageous? Indeed! He wrote modern music but couldn’t help creating melodies. That was to be both his good fortune and his misfortune. He knew so much about instruments and voices, and his music sounded so good that it could be regarded as poppish, and many people were loath to admit him to the serious musical world of Europe. Some snobs spoke of “French elegance”

This choir’s stylistic versatility is documented in numerous CD recordings and has toured extensively, appearing at many internationally renowned festivals. The disc is a fantastic representation of Poulenc’s a cappella works, performed brilliantly here, despite the technical difficulty.

A live and televised recording from this year's BBC Proms performance on 5th August by the most famous a cappella group ever: the King's Singers. Regularly performing in excess of 100 concerts every season complemented by recording and teaching, The King's Singers delight audiences around the world with their incomparable musicianship, charm and wit.With the recent album release Landscape and Time having been described as possessing "singing of rare distinction", and "stunningly high musical standards", they have maintained their place at the apex of a cappella singing, and are counted amongst the world's elite classical performers. Continuing Signum's release series in celebration of the group's 40th Anniversary year, Simple Gifts (SIGCD121) and a 5-CD ‘best of’ (SIGCD120), this performance was in many ways a retrospective of the groups musical history, encompassing some of the earliest arrangements that the original line-up performed right up to contemporary works that they recently commissioned. Available on CD and DVD, the DVD includes extra interviews with the group from Suzy Klein and Gareth Malone, star of BBC series The Choir, and can also be enjoyed in 5.1 surround sound.

CONCERT REVIEW:

"In an exquisitely programmed concert, there was music ranging from the Renaissance to the present, including the opening selection of Poulenc's witty “Chansons françaises" and various Victorian parlour songs "in the biggest Victorian parlour ever built." …the pure quality of the vocal balance is quite extraordinary. The King's Singers had travelled back in time some 400 years (who needs Dr Who at the Proms?). Then followed an example of the many works the group has commissioned, John McCabe's haunting evocation of American wastelands, "Scenes in America deserta", based on the writings of architectural historian Reyner Banham. McCabe took his bow. The evening ended with folksongs arranged by Gordon Langford and members of the group, Bob Chilcott (who left in 1997) and current baritone Philip Lawson. Langford's "Widdicombe" Fair played to the group's effortless resource of funny voices and genial comedy. The encore was Arthur Sullivan's arrangement of "The Long Day Closes", apposite for a concert finishing at fifteen minutes short of midnight and perfectly judged in this performance." Classical Source

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of his death, EMI Classics is releasing a set of Francis Poulenc complete works in 20 CDs.

Featuring the composer on the piano in the Concerto for two pianos, numerous artists who have worked with Poulenc himself such as Pierre Bernac, Jacques Février, Gabriel Tacchino, Georges Prêtre and so many others, this set also presents the vivid tradition of the Poulenc interpretation, including the first ever recording of Un Joueur de flute berce les ruines, by Emmanuel Pahud.

Legendary recordings of lyric works “Dialogues des Carmélites” with Régine Crespin under Pierre Dervaux, “Les Mamelles de Tirésias” and “La Voix humaine” with Denise Duval, come along to the multi award-winning and renowned complete piano works by Gabriel Tacchino. The chamber music cast features Alan Civil, Michel Portal, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Pierre Fournier and Michel Debost, to name but a few.

An extensive 148-page booklet including English and French liner notes describing each individual work, tributes by Denise Duval and Gabriel Tacchino, and a rich iconography will make this release even more unique.