Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963)

Donal Macleod explores how, from childhood, Poulenc was exposed
to two versions of Paris: one that was working class and
religious, another that was high society, secular... and
avant-garde.


Francis Poulenc was the epitome of Parisian high society: suave,
convivial and connected. Or was that how he wanted us to see him?
The critic Claude Rostand famously commented that Poulenc was a
combination of “moine et voyou” - monk and rogue. This week, we
follow the composer from Paris’s artisanal upper class heartland,
to the city’s dark underbelly, discovering the moments when the
monk and the rogue met face-to-face.


Music Featured:


Piano Concerto in C-Sharp Minor, FP 146 (1st mvt) Sonata for
Piano 4 Hands Gnossiennes Rapsodie Nègre L’Album des Six (5th
mvt, ‘Valse’) Les Biches Concert Champêtre Les Soirées de
Nazelles Les Litanies à la Vierge Noire Bleuet Les Animaux
Modèles L’Histoire de Babar Les Mamelles de Tirésias La Fraîcheur
et le Feu Les Dialogues des Carmelites La Voix Humaine


Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Alice McKee


For full track listings, including artist and recording details,
and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after
broadcast) head to the series page for Francis Poulenc (1899 –
1963) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001lkym


And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve
featured on Composer of the Week here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z