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FRANCIS POULENC
(1899-1963)
Concerto, S 146 (1949)
20:00
for Piano and Orchestra
1.
I
Allegretto - Più mosso (très alland) - Ancora Più mosso -
10:00
2.
II
Andante con moto (Commencer très calmement) -
5:57
3.
III
Rondeau à la française. Presto giocoso
3:56
Orchestra: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor:Edward Gardner
Aubade, S 51 (1929)
19:31
Concert chorégraphique
for Piano and Eighteen Instruments
Au Vicomte et à la Vicomtesse de Noailles
4.
Toccata. Lento e pesante - Molto animato - Animer -
2:35
5.
Récitatif. Les compagnes de Diane. Larghetto -
1:42
6.
Rondeau. Diane et compagnes. Allegro -
3:11
7.
Presto. Toilette de Diane. Presto - Sans ralentier -
1:24
8.
Récitatif. Introductoin à la Variation de Diane. Larghetto -
2:09
9.
Andante. Variation de Diane. Andante con moto -
3:33
10.
Conclusion. Adieux et départ de Diane. Adagio - Più mosso
4:54
Orchestra: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor:Edward Gardner
Concerto, S 61 (1932)
19:06
in D minor - in d-Moll - en ré mineur
for Two Pianos and Orchestra
À Madame la Princesse Edmond de Polignac
11.
I
Allegro ma non troppo - [Plus vite] - Gai -
8:02
12.
II
Larghetto - Plus allant - Tempo I
5:19
13.
III
Finale. Allegro molto - Agité - Plus calme
5:36
Solo:Helene Mercier piano
Orchestra: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor:Edward Gardner
Sonata, S 8 (1918, revised 1939)
5:57
for Piano Four Hands
À Mademoiselle Simone Tilliard
14.
I
Prélude. Modéré - [ ] - Tempo I - Presto, strident
2:02
15.
II
Rustique. Naïf et lent
1:56
16.
III
Finale. Très vite - Presto - Tempo I - Presto
1:53
Solo:Helene Mercier piano
17.
Elegie (en accords alternes), S 175 (1959)
5:20
for Two Pianos
À la mémoire de Marie-Blanche
Très calme et mélancolique - En animant peu à peu (capriccioso) -
Solo:Helene Mercier piano
18.
L'Embarquement pour Cythere, S 150 (1951)
2:02
Valse-musette
À Henri Lavorelle
cette évocation des bords de la Marne
chers à mon enfance
Très amicalement
Francis Poulenc
Octobre 51
Très vite et gai
Solo:Helene Mercier piano
Total time: 72:44
Solo:Louis Lortie piano
27-30 April 2015
Notes
After a successful cycle of Chopin works for solo piano, exclusive Chandos artist Louis Lortie plays here works by Poulenc with his duet partner Hélène Mercier. In Aubade and the two concertos they are joined by Edward Gardner and the BBC Philharmonic.
The French-Canadian pianists draw a persuasive portrait of the melancholic Parisian that Poulenc was: playful and depressed, like his tutor, Erik Satie. There is always a sense of palpable anxiety in these pieces, be it the sarcastic joie de vivre of the ‘choreographic concerto’ Aubade or the ironic melancholy of the explosive Concerto for Two Pianos – Mozartean and Stravinskyan at the same time. Further examples are the contrasting pair of works for two pianos, in which the evocation of the sound of accordion and smell of fried potatoes in L’Embarquement pour Cythère complement the Élégie which, as Poulenc indicated, should be played with ‘a cigar in your mouth and a glass of cognac on the piano’.
Similarly, the dazzling and dissonant Sonata for Piano Duet alternates between passages of charme and others that are féroce and strident. ‘Inventing his own folk tunes’, as Ravel noted, Poulenc took a decisive step in his musical emancipation with this very ‘dissident’ work.
Louis Lortie also plays the Piano Concerto, in which the traditional concerto virtues are more obvious: memorable tunes, sparkling orchestration, and a wide range of textures in the piano part.
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Reviews
Nominee for Classical Large Ensemble Album of the Year
JUNO Awards 2017
“...a great addition to the catalog and very strongly recommended.”
Jerry Dubins - Fanfare - May/June 2016
Excellent album
Luca Segalla - Musica magazine Italy - March 2016
“I have yet to hear a less-than-magnificent release from Louis Lortie, with his elegant playing, glorious sound and straightforward musicality ... one of the finest Poulenc discs to date from Chandos... “
Pianist magazine – April-May 2016
Marius Dawn
"... I'm happy to say that Louis Lortie and Hélène Mercier reveal the same zest and talent for these pieces as the composer himself. I've always enjoyed Lortie's natural musicality and gentle tone. Mercier is definitely on the same page with him here... The BBC have supplied Chandos with ideal sound, one of many acoustic successes coming from the Studio City, Salford. More Poulenc, please."
Fanfare - January/February 2016
Steve Kruger
Nominee for 2016 ICMA (International Clasical Music Awards) - Concertos category
Album **** (Excellent Disc) Sound **** (Excellent Sound)
Luc Nevers - Classica magazine France - February 2016
"...I took a great deal of pleasure reviewing this CD and, as Dominy Clements noted in his review, it was tempting to just say that it has everything going for it and stop there Lortie and Mercier clearly seem to relish this music and all three works are given first-class treatment. Chandos have contributed a winner with these sparkling performances in state-of-the art sound and a glossy booklet containing Jean-Georges Béraud’s painting Au Café on the cover and scholarly notes inside."
Leslie Wright - MusicWeb-International.com - 9 December 2015
Recording of the Month
"...Performances of the soloists and orchestra are beyond reproach, and the sound quality is beautifully balanced between piano(s) and orchestra. Booklet notes are the usual standard for the label. There is no question that this is one of my discoveries for 2015, and begs the question of why I waited so long to make the acquaintance of Poulenc’s concertos."
David Barker - MusicWeb-International.com - 9 December 2015
“ ...Best of all is the D minor Concerto (1932) with its haunting evocations of Balinese gamelan and Mozart, magically played by Lortie and Mercier The BBC Philharmonic and Gardner accompany impeccably.” ****
Guy Rickards International Piano magazine January/February 2016
Pianiste - Maestro
Luc Nevers - Pianiste magazine France - January/February 2016
Performance **** Recording ****
“... Louis Lortie and Hélène Mercier perform it [Concerto for Two Pianos] with great panache, also capturing the work’s more reflective qualities, with Edward Gardner and the BBC Philharmonic providing by turns zestful and sensitive accompaniment”
Daniel Jaff BBC Music magazine Christmas 2015
“This programme has some of Poulenc’s most enjoyable music, performed in the safe and sensitive hands of Louis Lortie and with the excellent Edward Gardner at the helm of one of the UK’s finest orchestras After being treated to these three wonderful orchestral works we have the added gift of the intense Sonata for piano duet played with terrific zing and magnificently poetic depth by Lortier/Mercier This Chandos recording is admirably balanced if I had to take away just one Poulenc programme then CHAN 10875 would be my current first choice.”
Dominy Clements MusicWeb-International.com 6 November 2015
“...Having all of Poulenc’s concertante piano music on a single disc has to be a Good Thing. These performances are very decent too. You may have umpteen versions of the D minor concerto already, but now’s the time to acquire another one. Louis Lortie and regular duet partner Hélène Mercier give us a refreshingly pungent, sharp-edged take on the work. It’s still enormous fun, and we’re reminded of Poulenc’s brilliance in blending so many disparate elements with such gleeful aplomb”
Graham Rickson theartsdesk.com 16 October 2015
“...Lortie is joined by Hélène Mercier for cracking performances of the Two-Piano Concerto and the Sonata for four hands (1918, revised 1939), their distinctive acerbities given whiplash emphasis by both pianists (and by the orchestra in the concerto) and yet with their more lyrical leanings tenderly voiced. There are valuable interpretative insights here for even the most seasoned of Poulenc aficionados.”
Geoffrey Norris Gramophone magazine October 2015
Album of the Week
“…Lortie and Mercier never leave one in doubt of their delight in, or idiomatic understanding of, Poulenc’s music; their rapport is complete in the Sonata for Two Pianos and two contrasting “encores”, the touching Elégie and the exhilarating, ultra-Parisian L’Embarquement pour Cythère, in which they positively waltz along the boulevards.”
Hugh Canning The Sunday Times Culture magazine 27 September 2015
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