Norddeutscher Figuralchor, Jörg Straube - Poulenc: Secular Choral Music (2009)
WEB | FLAC (tracks) - 237 MB | 01:05:03
Genre: Classical | Label: MDG Gold
WEB | FLAC (tracks) - 237 MB | 01:05:03
Genre: Classical | Label: MDG Gold
Most of the secular choral works of Francis Poulenc have enjoyed respectable treatment on disc–but not for awhile. This newcomer not only is equal to the best in the catalog, but it contains all of Poulenc’s a cappella compositions in the genre, including the infrequently heard Petites voix. Although the masterpiece Figure humaine, written in 1943 during the Nazi occupation of France, is the big work here–and it’s performed with spectacularly vivid ensemble clarity and all the poignancy that Poulenc must have intended with his very deliberate use of vocal timbre and expressive means–the generous program reminds us also of the merits of the composer’s „lighter“ works, particularly the Chansons françaises of 1945/46, Chanson à boire, for male choir, and Petites voix (1936), for treble voices.