Customer Reviews

Poulenc - Aubade · Les biches · Les animaux modèles / Pascal Rogé · Charles Dutoit

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All of this is vintage Poulenc and it's hard to imagine how there could be two artists more suited to interpreting this music than Dutoit and Roge. With his patrician finesse, Dutoit conveys all the jazz-inflected wit, color and nostalgic longing one could wish for. The recorded sound is just as glamorous and even more detailed than he usually obtains with the Montreal Symphony and having a French orchestra at his disposal pays real dividends in terms of idiomatic flair. After his traversal of Poulenc's music for solo piano, Roge is practically self-recommending in Aubade. One can readily identify the same authority and understanding (not to mention virtuosity) that makes his solo piano set so successful. Every piece on this disc lives up to expectations (and then some) but if I had to pick a favorite, it would Les Animaux Modeles. It's an astonishingly beautiful and touching piece at times with surging melodies and gorgeous orchestration. The evocation of a sunrise is somewhat reminiscent of Ravel's Lever du Jour from Daphnis et Chloe although this is certainly not a case of plagiarism. A strongly recommendable disc.

For those of us who love Poulenc's music this is a complete joy. It is fashionable to dismiss his music as a "frippery", but his unique style and love of life always surpasses this criticism. Nowhere is that more clear than in this marvelous recording by Charles Dutoit and the Orchestre National de France. The performances are all sensitive to Poulenc's scores, and is topped off with the appearance of pianist, Pascal Roge. If you're a fan of Poulenc's music, you must have this CD in your collection. If, on the other hand, you shy away from his talent, well, shame on you! You'll never know what wonders you are missing.