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Poulenc: Concertos for Keyboard Instruments - Albrecht, Duo Tal & Groethuysen

Poulenc: Concertos for Keyboard Instruments - Albrecht, Duo Tal & Groethuysen

Oehms Classics  OC 637

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical


Francis Poulenc: Concerto for 2 Pianos (arr. 2 pianos, organ and percussion), Harpsichord Concerto (arr. harpsichord, organ and percussion), Organ Concerto in G minor (for organ, strings and timpani)

Hansjörg Albrecht (organ)
Duo Tal & Groethuysen (piano)
Peter Kofler
Bach Collegium München


My music is my self-portrait,” said Francis Poulenc of his works. The composer’s personality was as brilliant as his music, which always contains something surprising, a change of level, a contrast between the “great” and the banal and between tradition and the avantgarde. Hansjörg Albrecht presents three concertos for keyboard instruments on his new CD of organ music; he himself takes the solo part in the concerto for organ, strings and timpani. In the harpsichord concerto and the concerto for two pianos and orchestra, he takes on the role of the orchestra, whose part he plays on the organ. With this, he harks back to performance practices typical of the early 20th century, particularly in France and the USA, where “salon organs” were often used in private salons for small concerts, and avant-garde composers presented their new works to an audience of connoisseurs.

The value of this recording is also enhanced by the two soloists in the double piano concerto, the piano duo consisting of Yaara Tal and Andreas Groethuysen, who have been counted among the world’s leading piano duos for many years.

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Reviews (1)
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Review by John Miller - March 2, 2010

"Twixt boulevard and church, portrait of an acoustic magician" runs the title of the insert notes for this SACD. A very apt summary of Francis Poulenc's career. His lively spirit, combined with cheeky and mischievous tendencies disguised a deeply sensitive nature, and these qualities appealed to audiences during his lifetime and beyond. He belonged to a group of friends known as Les Six, an avant-guard group of musicians and composers formed around 1920 and was probably most prolific of its members.

The first half of the twentieth century saw the building of many new private concert halls equipped with symphonic organs and grand pianos, particularly in France and Germany. These were frequently used for performances of new works by composers for this instrumental combination, such as Marcel Dupré, Jean Langlais and Joseph W. Clockey. An remarkable photograph of Marcel Dupré's own Music Salon is reproduced in the booklet, showing his own 5 manual organ and grand piano. Established works for piano or other instruments could also be performed, using transcriptions of the orchestral scores, which worked well on the organ because of its abilities to mimic so many instruments. In the present arrangements, a percussionist plays the parts scored for them by Poulenc.

Following this tradition, organist and Director Hansjörg Albrecht present two of Poulenc's most characteristic keyboard concertos in performances with organ and percussion replacing the orchestra. It is not entirely clear from the notes if these are new transcriptions by Albrecht himself, or those by Poulenc (he is known to have performed the works in such private venues such as that of his patroness, the Princess de Polignac). Having searched two catalogues of Poulenc's compositions, I can find no listing of organ transcriptions being extant, although the composer did provide 2-piano reductions of the scores, as was common practice. These would certainly have been a useful base for Albrecht's own versions.

The Concerto in D minor for 2 pianos FP 61 of 1932 was popular from the start, and Poulenc took it with him to England in 1945, where he played it with Benjamin Britten. Duo Tal & Groethuysen are one of the world's most expert piano duos. They give sparkling and idiomatic performances of this mostly outgoing and cheerful work in the magnificent modern concert hall of the Hochschule Für Musik in Munich. The Kuhn organ is well-stocked with stops such as Gambas, Cornets, Trumpets, Flutes, Violas, Bassoons and Oboes, and given Albrecht's colourful and appropriate registrations, one quickly forgets the absence of a full orchestra with the organ's often uncanny imitations.

The pianists never miss a trick in pointing Poulenc's witty asides, and the first movement has more than a touch of Gallic fire. In contrast, the lovely Larghetto is an oasis of calm, paying homage to Mozart with reminiscences of his Piano Concerto K537; the organ adds some wonderfully subdued and colourful support, and shimmering cymbals also underpin long singing lines shared between the soloists. The concerto's finale finds Poulenc in knock-about Burlesque mode, with tongue-in-cheek fleeting cameos of other composer's styles. The vivid percussion parts make much more of an impression than allowed in an orchestral context, with pyrotechnics which add greatly to the brilliance and sheer fun of the writing and playing.

Poulenc's Concert champêtre for harpsichord and orchestra FP 49 (1927-1928) is one of his most obvious contributions to the prevailing Neoclassical style. Written for Wanda Landowska, a Polish-French harpsichordist who was responsible for bringing back period instruments and performance practises, it called for a "revival style" harpsichord being built at the time, rather than an historic instrument. For this recording Peter Kofler plays one of these large instruments from the first half of the twentieth century, with stop pedals for changing registrations. In typical contrary fashion, Poulenc scored for a very large orchestra, including four horns, trumpets and tubas, with a large string section, thus potentially inviting disastrous balancing problems, which he resolved with deft orchestration.

With the cooperation of Albrecht's similarly considerate organ transcription, the engineers have found an excellent balance for Kofler's harpsichord in the same venue as the Concerto for two pianos. The perspective is from a good seat in the stalls, using minimum microphones to produce a truly realistic concert experience. The harpsichord is not subjected to close microphone scrutiny as on many other recordings, so its inherent character and tonal delicacy in the face of the powerful organ are fully exploited as Poulenc would have intended.

The organ sounds very Baroque in its opening dotted-rhythms typical of French overtures, and Koffler's excellent performance makes the most of the many Stravinskian references, including a sexy take-off of the rocking Russian folktune music from The Rite of Spring. The slow movement is a sweet Sicilienne where the organ from time to time shows its muscle, and the vigorous gallop of the Finale pauses briefly for more references, including Handel's Harmonious Blacksmith. There is a kaleidoscope of colours from harpsichord, organ and percussion, which makes one appreciate Wanda Landowska's assertion that she "felt completely unburdened and happy" when playing this work.

Poulenc's Concerto in G minor for organ, strings and timpani (FP 93) of 1938 has become almost iconic of the genre. In a single movement with seven parts, it overlaps Poulenc's religious and secular preoccupations in a heady mixture of majesty and energetic brilliance. Premier French organist of the time, Maurice Duruflé, developed the organ register indications for Poulenc, and was himself the first soloist.

At the organ, Albrecht is joined by the strings of Bach Collegium München and Babette Haag on the drums. He directs proceedings in the superb modern hall at Gasteig, with the electronic console of the large Klais installed at the front of the stage. This is a splendidly polished performance, full of drama, imposing climaxes, thrilling interchanges between organ and strings, with a truly dynamic tympani contribution which features much more than in most recordings. Sonically, it is superb; the performance photograph again shows the minimal microphone set-up. Thus the captured concert experience is impressively realistic, with a huge dynamic range and full response from a grateful acoustic.

Presentation is exemplary, with notes in German, English and French, very relevant illustrations and full specifications for the two organs.

This disc has given me much pleasure; performances are among the best of a number of comparisons I made, and sonically it is some way in front of most. Never once did I regret the absence of a "real" orchestra in the two piano and harpsichord concertos. Even if you already have versions of the works in your collection, I suggest you give this life-enhancing disc a listen. I have a feeling that Poulenc himself would have been very happy with it.

Copyright © 2010 John Miller and HRAudio.net

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Comment by threerandot - September 21, 2015 (1 of 1)

Marvelous performance and recording!