Poulenc on Music Matters, Sat 13th

[ardcarp]

Poulenc's Legacy
Duration: 45 minutes
First broadcast: Saturday 13 April 2013
To mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Francis Poulenc, Tom Service travels to the composer's home city of Paris to explore the passions, paradoxes and pleasures of the man behind this most joyful but melancholic music. On the way he talks to Poulenc's great-nephew, to some of his greatest living interpreters including Gabriel Tacchino (pianist), his favourite conductor, Georges Prêtre, baritone François Le Roux, pianist Graham Johnson, and musicologists Barbara Kelly and Nicolas Southon.

A great programme:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rw067

[Old Grumpy]

Yep, agreed. Very interesting and a lot of insights. My favourite is the Concerto for Organ, Strings and Tympani, which was (IIRC) not featured. My first introduction to this piece was at the Proms, many years ago. I was in the gallery and the concert was being recorded for television. I distinctly remember watching most of it on the TV monitor, whilst sitting/lying a way back from the rail, due to the number of people in the gallery.

OG

[Serial_Apologist]

A great programme indeed - one learned so much more about the composer than one already knew. What a complex character Poulenc was! And how said to learn that he may have died at his own hand!!

This sort of programme is where Radio 3 can really shine.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]