Malcolm Martineau - Poulenc: The Complete Songs of Poulenc, Vol. 5 (2015) [Hi-Res]

Composing over 150 works for piano and voice over a period of 44 years, the songs of Francis Poulenc remain consistently popular to concert audiences the world over. Varying in their individual style and character in a way that defies generalization, Poulenc set music to a wide range of different French poetry – both ancient and modern, and from the serious to the surreal. The final disc in Signum’s series of The Complete Songs of Francis Poulenc features a cast of the finest singers of our generation, accompanied by Malcolm Martineau as well as additional instrumental soloists for Poulenc’s larger-ensemble settings of his songs.

Featured works in this final volume include Rapsodie Negre, Le Bestiaire, Quatre poemes de Max Jacob, Vocalise, Quatre poemes d’Apollinaire, Banalite’s and Le Bal Masque?

"Thomas Allen, Thomas Oliemans, Joshua Ellicott, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Ann Murray and Sarah Fox are all secure and idiomatic Poulenc connoisseurs." (The Observer)

"The instrumental ensembles, thoroughly in tune with Poulenc’s personality, add piquancy to a delightful disc." (Gramophone)

„Thomas Allen's delivery of [La bestiare] is suave and secure. In both cycles, Julian Bliss's clarinet playing stands out for silkiness of tone...Catherine Wyn-Rogers finds a steely sensuality in Poulenc's sexiest song 'Hotel'...The playing is strong, especially from Martineau and the Badke Quartet." (BBC Music Magazine)