Poulenc: C'est ainsi que tu es

The 1953 recording features the spectacular twenty-six year old Leontyne Price, accompanied by Samuel Barber at the Library of Congress. The duo's entire recital is issued whole for the first time. In this recital the soprano and composer give the world premiere performance of Barber's "Hermit Songs", and perform Henri Sauguet's "La Voyante" (The Fortune Teller) and other songs by Barber, Poulenc and Fauré. This remarkable 1938 recording, released to the public for the first time, gives us the 28 year old baritone, Samuel Barber in 12 songs, accompanying himself at the piano. These little known performances reveal Barber as a singer/player of uncommonly deep communicative power. The performances (issued in cooperation with Mr. Barber's estate and the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia) include folk songs from England, America, the Tyrol and Tuscany as well as lieder by Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, C.P.E Bach and Schubert.

"Michel Piquemal's Poulenc recital on Naxos is a real bargain, and a superb introduction to the composer's melodies. Piquemal gained the confidence of Pierre Bernac early in his career, and Bernac told him that his way with Poulenc's music would have made him happy. Crictics' Choice." - Patrick O'Connor, Gramophone, January 2002