I think he also lived in a world not far from Oscar Wilde, a world where the "left bank" held attractions far more soft than the shadow of a cat. A world where Dignity could still walked naked and upright among the stinking uniformed 'witches' of the day. The Moon also rises. The Chat Noir lives. Thank god for Francis and an E major 7th crowned by a major 9th. "Novelettes," indeed. What a story teller he was. CVD
@@alexperez1078Hardly though, Poulenc takes the opening 10 notes, puts them in a different metre, accompaniment, and harmonic context and creates the rest of this magical Novelette. He did the same with a theme from Stravinsky’s first orchestral suite. Poulenc: in his best works, the greatest melodist of the his century, the one composer of the time that Mozart would’ve been delighted by.
You sort of feel Edith Piaf singing the 3rd piece while the curtains of the theater go down after the last scene is over and the sunset paints the sky with purple onto Rive Gauche....
I had a wonderful Finnish Piano Teacher when I was 8-12. Thankful for the discipline and grace with which she communicated classical music. I regret not continuing, but appreciate that the music is still with me today. God bless her.
I spent 3 years trying to learn the first Novelette for my second music college study exam. Despite failing 3 times and all the fruitless practice I still love it
I'm so sorry that you 'failed'. Did they tell you why? If you love the piece, I'm sure your practice was not 'fruitless'. Why not revisit it and, perhaps with the help of a new teacher, bring it back to life. It can sometimes take a very long time for a piece to 'settle'.
The last chord of the third novelelte is really great to play on the piano with the sostenuto pedal...all of the tones melt into each other and create such a fantastic, abstract haunting chord. that just fills the room.
For those who, like me, are fascinated by the harmonic games of Poulence, I cant but recommend the Finale and Salve Regina from his opera Dialogues de Carmelites. Poulenc at his best (which is to say a lot!).
0:00 I. Novelette in C major. Moderé sans lenteur 2:55 II Novelette in B-flat minor. Très rapide et rythmé 4:54 III Novelette in E minor. Sur un thème de Manuel de Falla. Andante tranquillo.
Poulenc is really brilliant. My choir sang "Les Tisserands" in quarantine style. Write this in the search: you will love it for sure! Corale Novarmonia - Les Tisserands (F. Poulenc)
@MarcheseCadmio Thank you for your reply..interesting that the last chord is suspended...and leaves one hanging...maybe that's the magic of it. Also I love "The Model Animals"...so hauntingly beautiful
@@alighieroalighieri404 oh sorry sir if I sounded rude but I really can see and hear some differences between the sheet music and the interpretation? Please correct me if I am wrong, thank you.
@@alighieroalighieri404 please listen to the right hand in 4:10 during bar 57 and 58 of the 2nd novellete, and the 13th bar of the 3rd novelette in 5:10 . Maybe it is part of the pianists' interpretation, but i think it is unlikely.
Agreed: gorgeous pieces, some hiccups in the interpretation. In the third novelette at mm.40-42 (5:56) I barely heard any dynamic change from fortissimo to subito piano; he also left out the tempo changes in the first novelette at m.66 (1:33) and m.76 (he seems to ritardando at m.77 instead?). Let's not forget that the greatest of pianists have the occasional slip... but student of Poulenc or not, ignoring his markings is questionable at best. Horowitz gives a much more moving account of the first novelette.
@@Lyricsxeverythin The f flats in bars 57 and 58 make no harmonic sense and he plays them as f naturals so as to make an f minor chord. obviously on purpose. The d in place of one more b in in the 3rd Novelette sounds much better to me. Since the tempo is very slow, and the pianist studied the work with the composer it's pretty likely Poulenc suggested the change. Most published editions have errors, often that composers corrected in their own hands. There are some differences between Poulenc's own recordings of his works and the printed edition.
