Poulenc Mélodies
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Francis Poulenc
Label: Decca
Magazine Review Date: 4/1999
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 270
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 460 599-2DM4
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Banalités |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Fiançailles pour rire |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Catherine Dubosc, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: Le dromadaire |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: La chèvre du Thibet |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: La sauterelle |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: Le dauphin |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: L'écrevisse |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: La carpe |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (La) Souris |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (3) Poèmes de Louise de Vilmorin |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Catherine Dubosc, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Chansons gaillardes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (3) Métamorphoses |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Catherine Dubosc, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Hyde Park |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (2) Poèmes, Movement: Allons plus vite |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Ce doux petit visage |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Catherine Dubosc, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Main dominée par le coeur |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Catherine Dubosc, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Miroirs brûlants, Movement: Tu vois le feu du soir |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Catherine Dubosc, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Les) Chemins de l'amour |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Catherine Dubosc, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Colloque |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Catherine Dubosc, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Montparnasse |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (La) Courte paille |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (2) Poèmes de Louis Aragon |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (3) Poèmes de Louise Lalanne |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (5) Poèmes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (4) Chansons pour enfants |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (La) Grenouillère |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Portrait |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Bleuet |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Airs chantés |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Priez pour paix |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Toréador |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Fancy |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Felicity Lott, Soprano Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Tel jour, telle nuit |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Une) Chanson de porcelaine |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Cocardes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Calligrammes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: La Colombe |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: Le Serpent |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (La) Puce |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Travail du peintre |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| À sa guitare |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (5) Poèmes de Ronsard |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (2) Poèmes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Vive Nadia |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (2) Mélodies, Movement: Nuage (wds. Beylie) |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (2) Poèmes, Movement: Dans le jardin d'Anna |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Rosemonde |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Chansons villageoises |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Dernier poème |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Mais mourir |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Disparu |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Hymne |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (4) Poèmes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (La) Fraîcheur et le feu |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Parisiana |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (8) Chansons polonaises |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano Urszula Kryger, Mezzo soprano |
| Paul et Virginie |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Epitaphe |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Pierrot |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (3) Chansons |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Mazurka |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
Composer or Director: Francis Poulenc
Label: Decca
Magazine Review Date: 4/1999
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 139
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 460 326-2DH2
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Tel jour, telle nuit |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Une) Chanson de porcelaine |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Cocardes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Calligrammes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: La Colombe |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée, 'Book of B, Movement: Le Serpent |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (La) Puce |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Travail du peintre |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| À sa guitare |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (5) Poèmes de Ronsard |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (2) Poèmes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Vive Nadia |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (2) Mélodies, Movement: Nuage (wds. Beylie) |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (2) Poèmes, Movement: Dans le jardin d'Anna |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Rosemonde |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Chansons villageoises |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Dernier poème |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Mais mourir |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (Le) Disparu |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Hymne |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (4) Poèmes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (La) Fraîcheur et le feu |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Parisiana |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Gilles Cachemaille, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (8) Chansons polonaises |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer Pascal Rogé, Piano Urszula Kryger, Mezzo soprano |
| (5) Poèmes |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Paul et Virginie |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Epitaphe |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Pierrot |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| (3) Chansons |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
| Mazurka |
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Francis Poulenc, Composer François Le Roux, Baritone Pascal Rogé, Piano |
Author: Patrick O'Connor
During the final years of his life, Poulenc described his own personality, ‘What has often been praised as my charming modesty is fundamentally nothing more than an inferiority complex.’ This sometimes seems to be reflected in his music, especially in the way that the little bursts of melody which are so haunting often burn themselves out before one can catch hold of them. It was Poulenc’s own opinion that his music could be divided between those pieces that evoked his childhood beside the Marne, the works that were inspired by the countryside of the Touraine and third, the Parisian-inspired pieces. With the poets Eluard, Cocteau and Apollinaire prominent, it’s natural that Poulenc’s melodies are mostly Paris-bound affairs.
In this two-disc set the lion’s share of the singing goes to Francois Le Roux. With Gilles Cachemaille and Urszula Kryger joining in on the second disc, this completes Decca’s project to record all of Poulenc’s songs, indeed some of them have been done twice since Le Roux has recorded Le bestiaire with orchestra on one of the earlier discs (3/97), as well as Cocardes. Le Roux does these three Cocteau settings with wonderful timing and diction here – even though I prefer the songs in the version with orchestra. Now that his voice has taken on a darker sound, and he has forsaken Pelleas for Golaud on stage, Le Roux occasionally sounds taxed by the high-lying phrases Poulenc composed for Pierre Bernac inTel jour, telle nuit and Calligrammes. He is one of the few singers of today who really knows how to employ head-tones without sounding false but A sa guitare, composed for Yvonne Printemps, really is soprano territory. He’s absolutely superb in the three extra songs for Le bestiaire, only recently published (taking the snake, the dove and the flea as their subjects).
The second disc begins with Cachemaille singing one of Poulenc’s latest and most beautiful songs, Nuage, to a poem by Laurence de Beylie. This is followed by two other songs from the 1930s and 1950s, both to Apollinaire poems,Dans le jardin d’Anna and Rosemonde. These make a neat group, as do the two contrasting poems by Robert Desnos, Dernier poeme and Le disparu with an Eluard setting, Mais mourir in between – evocations of the occupation, of the poet’s friend and then his own transportation to the death camps. Cachemaille’s voice is more sensual than Le Roux’s but he doesn’t have such a range of expression at his command – I would rather have heard Le Roux in the four Apollinaire poems that include ‘Avant le cinema’, which he has often included in his recitals.
Cachemaille sings the Chansons villageoises with plenty of firm tone – Poulenc asked for a Verdi baritone of the Iago type for these. They really benefit from being heard with orchestra, but Pascal Roge certainly plays them with splendid verve. His contribution to the arrangements of Polish folk-songs – Poulenc’s homage to Chopin – is also crucial. JBS, reviewing the rival EMI set of Poulenc melodies, commented that he found these ‘not so very attractive.’ For my own part, I like them a lot, and although Nicolai Gedda’s performance on EMI is full of wit and charm, it’s good to hear them, as intended, sung by a mezzo. (Poulenc’s own recording of them with the elderly but fascinating Rose Dercourt on Turnabout, 10/74, ought to be reissued.)
La fraicheur et le feu, seven songs composed from one long Eluard poem, is a big challenge. Cachemaille doesn’t altogether avoid the sense of strain in this which at times overcomes Bernac in his recording with the composer. In general both Cachemaille and Le Roux are somewhat more at home in the lighter songs (although the mood Poulenc adopts is often deceptive), what the composer called ‘le Poulenc burlesque’.
Those who might hesitate to buy the EMI five-CD set of melodies will be rewarded in this selection by a broad survey of some of Poulenc’s loveliest songs – but then you may wish you had invested in the complete set of Decca (a bargain at mid price). The more you listen to Poulenc’s melodies, the more fascinating they become, and it’s easy to want different interpretations – like the songs of Schubert or Debussy they are open to many performance styles.'
In this two-disc set the lion’s share of the singing goes to Francois Le Roux. With Gilles Cachemaille and Urszula Kryger joining in on the second disc, this completes Decca’s project to record all of Poulenc’s songs, indeed some of them have been done twice since Le Roux has recorded Le bestiaire with orchestra on one of the earlier discs (3/97), as well as Cocardes. Le Roux does these three Cocteau settings with wonderful timing and diction here – even though I prefer the songs in the version with orchestra. Now that his voice has taken on a darker sound, and he has forsaken Pelleas for Golaud on stage, Le Roux occasionally sounds taxed by the high-lying phrases Poulenc composed for Pierre Bernac in
The second disc begins with Cachemaille singing one of Poulenc’s latest and most beautiful songs, Nuage, to a poem by Laurence de Beylie. This is followed by two other songs from the 1930s and 1950s, both to Apollinaire poems,
Cachemaille sings the Chansons villageoises with plenty of firm tone – Poulenc asked for a Verdi baritone of the Iago type for these. They really benefit from being heard with orchestra, but Pascal Roge certainly plays them with splendid verve. His contribution to the arrangements of Polish folk-songs – Poulenc’s homage to Chopin – is also crucial. JBS, reviewing the rival EMI set of Poulenc melodies, commented that he found these ‘not so very attractive.’ For my own part, I like them a lot, and although Nicolai Gedda’s performance on EMI is full of wit and charm, it’s good to hear them, as intended, sung by a mezzo. (Poulenc’s own recording of them with the elderly but fascinating Rose Dercourt on Turnabout, 10/74, ought to be reissued.)
La fraicheur et le feu, seven songs composed from one long Eluard poem, is a big challenge. Cachemaille doesn’t altogether avoid the sense of strain in this which at times overcomes Bernac in his recording with the composer. In general both Cachemaille and Le Roux are somewhat more at home in the lighter songs (although the mood Poulenc adopts is often deceptive), what the composer called ‘le Poulenc burlesque’.
Those who might hesitate to buy the EMI five-CD set of melodies will be rewarded in this selection by a broad survey of some of Poulenc’s loveliest songs – but then you may wish you had invested in the complete set of Decca (a bargain at mid price). The more you listen to Poulenc’s melodies, the more fascinating they become, and it’s easy to want different interpretations – like the songs of Schubert or Debussy they are open to many performance styles.'
Poulenc Mélodies
Poulenc Mélodies
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