The Concerto in D minor for Two Pianos and Orchestra was commissioned by Princess Edmond de Polignac and composed in a remarkably short period of two and a half months in 1932.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Poulenc was unconventional by daring to be conventional in an era when musical 'haute couture' dictated complicated compositions.
Composer Biography
Poulenc was an outstanding pianist, which explains the prominent role of the piano in his chamber music.
Performer Biography
Roland Pöntinen, one of the pianists on this recording, debuted with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at age 17 and has appeared on 27 other BIS records.
Critical Reception
Despite his skill, Poulenc's music was sometimes described in musical dictionaries as lacking profundity and being merely elegant entertainment.
Compositional Technique
For the exotic sonorities at the end of the first movement of the Concerto in D minor, Poulenc found inspiration in Balinese music he heard in Paris in 1931.
Composer Biography
Francis Poulenc, a composition pupil of Charles Koechlin, debuted as a composer in 1917 and was part of the Parisian group Les Six.
You might also enjoy...
American Piano Music
Bach, J.S.: English Suites Nos. 4-6, Bwv 809-811
Poulenc Piano Music: Martin Jones Rediscovered
Chin, Kapustin, Lyapunov & Szymanowski: Piano Etudes
Severac: Piano Music, Vol. 1: Cerdana - En Languedoc
Albéniz : Iberia Books 1, 2 & España
Erwin Schulhoff: Hot Music / Suite Dansante En Jazz / +
