Poulenc: Complete Chamber Works

This collection of the complete chamber music of Poulenc shows the varying styles that he employed. From the jazzy, bitonal passages of the Sonata for Clarinet and Bassoon and the Sonata for Horn, Trumpet and Trombone which has been described as ‘Pergolesi with his wig awry’ (Roger Nichols, Grove) to the profound beauty of his last three sonatas for wind. All are extremely accessible. The Nash Ensemble gave a series of concerts of Poulenc’s music at the Wigmore Hall earlier this year to great critical acclaim and Hyperion are delighted to be able to present this wonderful collection on this, Poulenc’s centenary year.
Here’s nearly two and a half hours of unadulterated listening pleasure. The chamber output of Frenchman Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) spans some four decades and more, from the tartly modernist cavortings of the very Stravinskian Sonata for two clarinets (1918), via the insouciant charms of both the Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (his first big chamber success from 1926) and Sextet (1932-9) as well as the substantial, deeply felt wartime sonatas for violin and cello, to the three sonatas for woodwind he penned in his twilight years (including the deliciously tuneful, deservedly popular Flute Sonata of 1957). There’s a healthy sprinkling of comparative rarities, too, not least the poignant little Sarabande for solo guitar (1960) as well as the even briefer, haunting Villanelle (1938) for piccolo and piano. Not only do the members of the Nash Ensemble bring an abundant technical flair to everything they survey, they also don’t miss out on that peculiar mix of the frothy, madcap and sublime that are such trademarks of Poulenc’s inimitable mode of expression. 1999, this composer’s centenary year, furnished no more rewarding haul than this immaculately produced Hyperion anthology, which must receive the heartiest of welcomes. –Andrew Achenbach