Francis Poulenc - Sonata for two Pianos [With score]

-Composer: Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (7 January 1899 - 30 January 1963)
-Performers: Pascal Rogé and Jean-Philippe Collard
Sonata for two Pianos FP 156, written in 1952-53
00:00 - I. Prologue. Extremement lent et calme
05:59 - II. Allegro molto. Très rythmé
11:06 - III. Andante lyrico. Lentement
17:23 - IV. Epilogue. Allegro giocoso
While extensive, Francis Poulenc's catalogue of music for the piano consists largely of miniatures and character pieces, both singly and in sets. Poulenc's Sonata for Piano Duo is one of the composer's most ambitious and substantial works for the instrument; as such, it has emerged as one of the standards of the two-piano repertoire.
Though Poulenc had written a Sonata for Piano Duet (that is, for two players at one instrument) in 1918, it wasn't until late in his career that he began to produce works for two pianos. He dedicated the Sonata for Piano Duo, completed in 1953, to the piano duo of Gold and Fizdale, who had long championed the composer's Concerto for Two Pianos (1932). While the Sonata is a serious and demanding work for audiences and performers alike, Poulenc's essential qualities as a composer are evident throughout; at no time does his musical language lapse into arcana.
The contrast between bustling movement and extraordinary calm is one of the hallmarks of the Sonata. The work contains a number of allusions to church bells -- not the clangorous peals of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, but evocations of a gentler sort, more like the suggestion of a village church. The first movement, marked Prologue, is assertive and passionate, almost Schumannesque. The central section provides a moment of quiet contrast, while a tolling effect in the coda brings the movement to its end. The Allegro Molto is a scherzo characterized by jaunty, agitated themes. The Trio starts dramatically, ultimately receding into ethereal quiet. The Andante Lyrico opens with a chorale that summons forth the sound of a carillon; this simple beginning builds with an ever-increasing weight. The sprightly, playful Epilogue rounds out the work with the kind of exuberant finish that is characteristic of Poulenc's multimovement works. The mood darkens as the movement pushes forward to a tragic climax; the gravity is dissipated, however, with a spirited burst at the conclusion.
[allmusic.com]

[@PhilippeBrun-qy3st]

J'adore et j'adhère. Merci.

[@pwoody1958]

Tremendous. A favorite piece, which I have performed and love dearly. It is profound, rich, affirming, and charming as well as frightening, forboding, and portentious. At certain points it always sounds to me like Satan has won the war and is proclaiming his victory. Wildly good performance even if they're not together a lot of the time!

[@gulapula]

Thank you my good sir

[@buttersauce548]

poulenc is one of the best melodic composers in my opinion

[@MartinMigeot]

shuch a wonderful creation, thank you for the discovery

[@neweraofthechambermusic3699]

I'm always astonished, how many similarities there are in Poulenc last decades compositions... He even doesn't shy to use the same material in many works. For example - 1 mvt 02:06 and his Oboe sonata (3mvt).

[@OctopusContrapunctus]

He imbeded self quotation into his style in such a fun way it becomes more a game then a fun fact

[@brunocostapiano]

A mi me gustaría vivir en esta pieza...

[@thanasis_milios]

Hello! Would you consider uploading Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex at some point (as there aren’t any score videos of it on CZcams; though I’m not sure whether it has to do with the absence of the text from the score in IMSLP)?