It's not British but...The Piano Music of Francis Poulenc on Danacord

It is important to draw a distinction between the Nocturnes of John Field, Frédéric Chopin, and Gabriel Fauré and those composed by Poulenc. As a rule of thumb his examples are “night scenes” rather than “night music.” They are not necessarily slow and romantic like many of their exemplars.

These Nocturnes need not be heard as a set. In fact, in his dissertation on Poulenc’s piano music, Ji Won Lim, has suggested that he (Poulenc) never played them as such. Certainly, he had his own personal favourites, possibly Nos. 1, 2 and 4, which he recorded. 

The Nocturnes were written over a ten-year period, with the first being completed in 1929. Overall, they are a little uneven in their impact. The first is the best of the bunch, with its open-hearted melody supported by a traditionally arpeggiated accompaniment. No.2, Bal de jeunes filles (The young girls dance) is Schumann-esque with its lively, dotted note rhythm, and exuberant dancing mood. The third Nocturne evokes Les Cloches de Malines with its sympathetic depiction of the old bells bookending a dissonant middle section. Malines/Mechelen is a town in the Antwerp region of Belgium. Bal fantôme is the nearest Poulenc comes to composing a “traditional” Nocturne.  It would have helped if the liner notes had included the quotation heading this piece in the commentary: “Not a note of the waltzes or schottisches was lost throughout the house, so that the patient had his share of the party and could dream on his pallet of the good years of his youth.” (Julien Green, Le visionnaire, 1934). The result is pure nostalgia. This is followed by Phalènes (Moths) which is skittery and suggests the winged creatures caught in the moonbeams. Bartók and Prokofiev may be the models here. The sixth nocturne, in G major, is deeply felt, and quite intense with some lovely atmospheric effects. And the seventh, in E flat major,  looks to the dancing girls again, this time on a sultry summer’s night. Poulenc entitled the final Nocturne, ‘To serve as a Coda’ which suggests that he may have regarded them as a cycle. Certainly, the mood of this piece looks back to the opening number.

The Trois mouvements perpétuels is Francis Poulenc’s best known piano work. They were finished during 1918 and were premiered the following year in Paris by Ricardo Viñes. They are dedicated to the French artist and author, Valentine Gross, often recalled for her work with the Russian Ballet and the Surrealists. There are three short movements: assez modéré, tres modéré and alerte.  As the title implies each of these delightful pieces explore Poulenc’s concept of perpetual motion. Devices used include ostinatos, scalar melodies and, in the final movement, a “collage of small ideas and motives.”  These mouvements have been criticised for being “juvenile,” on the other hand, they could be described as being subtle and extremely nuanced. They fulfil Poulenc’s conceit that they are like “a brisk stroll by the Seine” presumably in the heart of Paris.

Mélancolie was composed in 1940 and was dedicated to Poulenc’s then current lover, Raymond Destouches, a chauffeur from Noizay, and was first performed by Marcel Meyer the following year at the Salle Gaveau in Paris. It was ostensibly inspired by his demobilisation from an anti-aircraft battalion at Bordeaux, and the occupation of Paris. That said, there is certainly a feeling of “love song” in these dreamy, wistful pages, which seem to be looking back to happier days.

Although the track-listing presents Three Intermezzi as if they were a group, the reality is different. The first two were written in 1934, whilst the third, a standalone piece was penned in 1943. The first Intermezzo, in C major, has been described as being like a whirlwind tour of Paris. The second, in D flat major, is introspective and casts a backward glance to cheerier times. The Intermezzo in A flat is the longest and most involved of the “set” with its nod to Fauré and an evocative salon style. The liner notes explain that Poulenc concluded it with 12 chords in all the keys – “probably an ironic greeting to the Germans in his beloved Paris.”

The Pastorale of the Trois Pieces was originally written in 1918. However, it was revised in 1928 and duly coupled with the other two numbers. It is an impressionistic, almost atonal piece, that majors on soft dissonances and much chromaticism. The Hymne is a powerful statement that is unsettling with its noisy, harsh, and typically sombre progress. The middle section is a little more relaxed. The final movement is a bravura Toccata in the “French style”, full of “scissors and paste” figurations, perpetual motion and agitation. I understand that it was a favourite encore of Vladimir Horowitz. The entire score was dedicated to the Spanish pianist, Ricardo Viñes.

Sadly, the liner notes devised by the soloist are minimalist, and give few details about the music: it is more of an impression, albeit interesting. I have filled in a few points in my review.

John Damgaard is a Danish born pianist with much experience on the recital stage, the recording studio and in academia. Important recordings include all the sonatas of Franz Schubert, and the complete piano works of Maurice Ravel.

When I listen to Poulenc’s piano music, I usually turn to the magnificent survey by Pascal Rogé issued as a boxed set by Decca in 1998. I find that his playing perfectly balances affection, elegance and sophistication. These are the qualities that I look for in any performance of Poulenc’s music. I find that John Damgaard does exhibit these traits in abundance. He is complimented by Danacord’s excellent recording.

I do not know if this is the first of a series of discs to be dedicated to Francis Poulenc, or if it is a standalone recital. I would like to think that Damgaard would turn his attention to the Improvisations, Napoli and Les Soirées de Nazelles.

Track Listing:
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Huit Nocturnes (1929-38)
Trois mouvements perpétuels (1919)
Mélancolle (1940)
Trois intermezzi (1934, 1943)
Trois Pièces (1918, 1928)
John Damgaard (piano)
rec. October 2022, Concert Hall, Danish National Academy of Music, Odense, Denmark
Danacord DACOCD 960