Poulenc & Satie: Piano Works

Featuring

Francis Poulenc
Jacques Février
Georges Prêtre
Walther Straram
Orchestre National de la RTF
Orchestre des concerts Straram

Erik Satie

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Recording & Production

This recording of the Concerto for two pianos features Francis Poulenc and Jacques Février, the soloists who premiered the work 30 years earlier, recorded less than two months before Poulenc's death.

Composition History

Poulenc's compositional debut, Rapsodie nègre for voice and chamber ensemble, premiered when he was just 18 years old.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Poulenc admitted to having a 'hybrid nature,' being a staunch Catholic yet equally attracted to the profane, a duality described as 'something of the monk and something of the rascal.'

Historical Context

Poulenc, like many musicians of his generation, was attracted to jazz, which was very popular in Paris during his early career.

Composer Biography

Francis Poulenc's mother, a pianist, gave him his first music lessons, but she died when he was 16, and his father two years later.

Compositional Technique

Poulenc stated that the vibrant coloration in his Concerto for two pianos and orchestra was inspired by Balinese musicians he encountered at the 1931 Paris Colonial Exhibition.

Composition History

The Concerto for two pianos and orchestra was commissioned by Princess Edmond de Polignac and premiered by Poulenc and Jacques Février at the International Festival of Contemporary Music in Venice in 1932.