Search - Francis Poulenc, The Nash Ensemble, Michael Harris :: Poulenc: The Complete Chamber Music

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. The year 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