Pastorale is very reminiscent of Firebird (Stravinsky, himself inspired by his late teacher Rimsky-Korsakov), though still truly elegant in line with Poulenc's unique style
Thank you for posting this. I always enjoy following the music notation as it plays. Alas, I am dismayed that my technique is so poor that I cannot play any of this.
I always considered that this tryptic was the best of Poulenc's piano music, with some of the "Nocturnes". This rendering does indeed comfort my idea. The "Pastorale" shows how stupid it is to oppose Debussy and Poulenc. The hymn is remeiscent of the Serenade in A for piano of Stravinsky. And the toccata is ... from Poulenc only !!!!!!
I just discovered this clip today. I've listened to a different performance on a CD for years and was amazed at the textures these pieces had. How are you progressing? My dad always said to play something slowly at first and increase tempo as you go along. For me, starting at the end and working backwards works, for two reasons: you are more familiar with the end, so that when you get to performance you know the music so well you can Perform And relax because you know the end better. The second is that (por moi) it was easier to shape the music dynamically. The next suggestion is to study it away from the piano once you settle on fingering, to put yourself out of the technical performance and look at the detail, the opportunities. just one person's thoughts. Hope you do well enough to enjoy it!
Most piano pieces are quiet easy to learn if you respect the following 3 simple rules: 1) Start very slowly + accelerate very gradually. 2) Use only your own correct fingerings, from the start. 3) Never play mistakes, because they will persist; rather slow down your playing.
The opening Hymne is so grossly over-played, with excessively heavy handed dynamics, a near grand romantic approach in manner, and and equally excessive and heavy foot on the damper pedal. It is so bent out of shape I could get no further. There's a difference in a good latitude in interpretation vs. that line over which this one passed into 'mangled. :-/ (Better - best for these pieces, the recording with Gabriel Tacchino on Pedel Pietro's channel.)
