This may well be my favorite symphonic work by Poulenc. I've always found Poulenc & Gershwin to be kindred spirits. They both raised the indigenous popular musics of their time & place to the level of high art. While Gershwin worked in musical theatre, with popular song, alongside Kern & Berlin, Poulenc was influenced by French music hall & street song (I think of Edith Piaf, a soulmate of his). But both Gershwin & Poulenc lived & breathed in the air of this music. It was in their blood, so when they wrote their extended, "serious" compositions, they did not sound at all contrived, as did many of their "classical" colleagues who worked with "jazz" & other popular, vernacular forms. Just some thoughts. Thank you sharing this great work. And it is such a fine performance.
I absolutely agree with you.. Because of his empathy with popular music, there is a kind of natural warmth and wit in his serious work. I would add Copland, and even Walton to your list, but definitely not Stravinsky. Much as I love him, his attempts feel like your dad dancing at a disco!
What a pleasure to hear this piece performed so well. I love the wonderful interaction between Nathalie Stutzmann and the musicians. They obviously love performing with her. I think Poulenc would have been delighted.
Re-discovered this piece months ago... it has been along time since I had studied it. It is my favorite of Poulenc's orchestral works. Oh, how many of us wish he had composed a few symphonies! But, he is a master at creating moods and celebrating them as well. Poulenc's music is well-concentrated... not one measure is superfluous.
A great performance of a remarkable work. Poulenc seems to be able to throw in any number of musical cliches into the pot, and what emerges is fresh, surprising and delightful. Do I hear pastiche and allusions to other works? (Tchaikovsky's March from his 6th Symphony in the 2nd movement, Brahms in the 3rd movement), but it is all part of the joyous unpretentious outpouring of music. And as always with Poulenc, there is more to it than meets the ear at first.
A LOT more. I detect snippets of childhood songs, which is consistent with Poulenc's subtitle to the work, "Goodbye to Youth." Sort of bittersweet. Allusions to Brahms' Cradle Song, is just one. I recalled them all at one time.
Plagiarism is pretentious by definition. I don't agree that this piece is full of cliches. One call always find similarities. It's in the neo-classical style and everything that implies. Distinguish influence from imitation please.
Very good performance! Congratulations! Poulenc's music is not a revolution, but always lovely, delicate and refined. Thank you for this very nice moment.
NATHALIE ADEMÁS DE TENER UNA VOZ EXCEPCIONAL , ES UNA CONDUCTORA EXTRAORDINARIA., EXQUISITA Y SUTIL...ÉSTA INTERPRETACIÓN ES UN POULENC SOBERBIO. ¡BRAVO !!!...
You are very good and Poulenc is really brilliant. My choir sang "Les Tisserands" in quarantine style. Write this down in the research. You will love it for sure: Corale Novarmonia - Les Tisserands (F. Poulenc)
The most active supporters of Poulenc are usually quite reluctant about this sinfonietta. Nevertheless, some specific features of the composer(s inspiration can be found here.
Any composition professor would have given Poulenc an F for the unsmooth transitions at 7:07 but I love it! Poulenc is a master of pure heartfelt, yet drunken, whimsical nostalgia, with impulsive moments of sheer beauty. Probably my favorite piece of his. Thank you for publishing this performance! Previously I had it only on a 3rd generation cassette copy. Do you know where I could buy the score to study it?
John Hedger ROFL! You are an ignorant uncreative ass. A composition teacher is a flunky who doesn't compose for a living. Otherwise, note that Poulenc's music is being performed whilst the composition teacher hasn't a creative clue. And, oh yes, my music is heard in feature movies.
Easy Aspi, At least I am an uncreative ass who posts with my true name. You obviously don't understand the humor of my post. So, All composition professors are dilettantes? Does this include Paul Hindemith? And, no great composers ever benefited by taking composition lessons in their early stages? Ravel learned nothing studying composition under Gabriel Faure? I would be curious to hear all of these wonderful movie scores you are bragging about Mr. Anonymous! :)
+John Hedger John, I re-read your post, above. And you are right. I didn't read your entire post the first time. Sorry. Fortunately, YT has provided us with several performances. I have a mono LP of it with George Pretre conducting. Glad to hear this on YT because my analog disc skips. The performances here have the strings sound like real strings and not a distorted digitized version. Tchaikovsky comes to mind, among others, as also having a sense of humor. His Nutcracker has a snatch of Sweet Rosy O'Grady (pun intended). And the pas de deux is a run up and own the scales. It became a pop hit song called "Here." I have one notable (HAW!) example of a film score clever black humor. It's the title music from "Boys from Brazil" by Jerry Goldsmith. It's the Blue Danube Waltz by J. Strauss in the style of R. Strauss. The connection is that J. was Jewish and Richard was anti-Jewish. And the premise of the movie had to do with cloning Hitler in 95 boys. Rather stupid movie except for the clever title music.
I caught a brief motif that sounded like from the pop song of yesteryear, "GIGI." Could be that the song was "borrowed" from some other French song. HUMM?
This sinfonietta is not very well rated even by the critics the most favourable to Poulenc. Its inspiration and its orchestration are criticized. We ca judge here the merits and the limits of the score thanks to the perfect conducting of N; Stuzmann.
I love Nathalie Stutzmann, but to my ears this performance is much too romantic. The piece should be played as if it were Stravinky--which it almost is. As with so much French music, the correct expression is no expression.
![Francis Poulenc - Sinfonietta (1947) [Score]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9jUUES8l528/mqdefault.jpg)
This may well be my favorite symphonic work by Poulenc. I've always found Poulenc & Gershwin to be kindred spirits. They both raised the indigenous popular musics of their time & place to the level of high art. While Gershwin worked in musical theatre, with popular song, alongside Kern & Berlin, Poulenc was influenced by French music hall & street song (I think of Edith Piaf, a soulmate of his). But both Gershwin & Poulenc lived & breathed in the air of this music. It was in their blood, so when they wrote their extended, "serious" compositions, they did not sound at all contrived, as did many of their "classical" colleagues who worked with "jazz" & other popular, vernacular forms. Just some thoughts. Thank you sharing this great work. And it is such a fine performance.
I absolutely agree with you.. Because of his empathy with popular music, there is a kind of natural warmth and wit in his serious work. I would add Copland, and even Walton to your list, but definitely not Stravinsky. Much as I love him, his attempts feel like your dad dancing at a disco!
It is a pity that Poulenc has so few symphonic Works. The Sinfonietta is a real gem!
He has several. Look up.
What a pleasure to hear this piece performed so well. I love the wonderful interaction between Nathalie Stutzmann and the musicians. They obviously love performing with her. I think Poulenc would have been delighted.
Love the rapport that´s so evident between the orchestra and Nathalie. It really helps to understand the music on a deeper level. Thank you all,
I. 0:16
II. 8:40
III. 14:45
IV. 21:45
Masterful orchestration of Poulenc's. A wonderful conductor - precisely selected gesticularions.
Re-discovered this piece months ago... it has been along time since I had studied it. It is my favorite of Poulenc's orchestral works. Oh, how many of us wish he had composed a few symphonies! But, he is a master at creating moods and celebrating them as well. Poulenc's music is well-concentrated... not one measure is superfluous.
there are moments of such longing that i want to cry
That's Poulenc for you! The opening measures of his "Melancolie" have the same effect on me!
Hello,
What a beautiful concert !
Merci infiniment !
Chaleureuses salutations !
Jean-Charles Bourquin, in France
A great performance of a remarkable work. Poulenc seems to be able to throw in any number of musical cliches into the pot, and what emerges is fresh, surprising and delightful. Do I hear pastiche and allusions to other works? (Tchaikovsky's March from his 6th Symphony in the 2nd movement, Brahms in the 3rd movement), but it is all part of the joyous unpretentious outpouring of music. And as always with Poulenc, there is more to it than meets the ear at first.
A LOT more. I detect snippets of childhood songs, which is consistent with Poulenc's subtitle to the work, "Goodbye to Youth." Sort of bittersweet. Allusions to Brahms' Cradle Song, is just one. I recalled them all at one time.
Roger Wilco Natalie is quite fetching in addition to be faithful to the score and doing a superb job of conducting.
AHA! You noticed too, Roger.
Plagiarism is pretentious by definition. I don't agree that this piece is full of cliches. One call always find similarities. It's in the neo-classical style and everything that implies. Distinguish influence from imitation please.
Many allusions to childhood. Hence nursery rhyme tunes. Subtitle of the work, therefore, is "Farewell To Youth."
Wonderful, thank you! ❤️
Bravo Nathalie ! Quelle musicienne !!
Une parfaite réussite ! Tout Poulenc est là ! Nathalie Stutzmann aussi bonne Chef que Cantatrice !
Very good performance! Congratulations! Poulenc's music is not a revolution, but always lovely, delicate and refined. Thank you for this very nice moment.
Dear Ms. Stutzmann,
Very sensitive and charming. As usede say my professor of conduncting, Eleazar De Carvalho: "Chapeau!".
The combination of music,orchestra and the conducting by this wonderful woman is outstanding and very inspiring,they go together so well!
Bravo!J’apprécie toujours les talents multiples :)
NATHALIE ADEMÁS DE TENER UNA VOZ EXCEPCIONAL , ES UNA CONDUCTORA EXTRAORDINARIA., EXQUISITA Y SUTIL...ÉSTA INTERPRETACIÓN ES UN POULENC SOBERBIO. ¡BRAVO !!!...
Bravissima Maestra!!!
Every eighth bar a new melodic landscape! One of my favorite pieces!
TOTALLY AMAZING . MANY THANKS
Nathalie, this was an outstanding performance. I also like the camera work. Thanks for sharing.
+Roger Wilco Indeed. From one Roger to another.
Beautiful performance, wonderfully conducted.
bravissima...bellissima interpretazione di questa bel pezzo
Rather good performance. Thanks for sharing!
great fun. a delight from start to finish
Great performance !!
You are very good and Poulenc is really brilliant. My choir sang "Les Tisserands" in quarantine style. Write this down in the research. You will love it for sure:
Corale Novarmonia - Les Tisserands (F. Poulenc)
The most active supporters of Poulenc are usually quite reluctant about this sinfonietta. Nevertheless, some specific features of the composer(s inspiration can be found here.
I like female conductor! Powerful and delicate❤
Excelente dirección. Para mi ella es única.
me gusta mucho a mi tambien.... no sé nada pero me parece que su direcciòn es muy clara, precisa
I like this music!
The colors on her cuffs are a nice touch. Who but the French......? Fine performance of a fine work, too.
Su frescura no tiene fin!!!
Any composition professor would have given Poulenc an F for the unsmooth transitions at 7:07 but I love it! Poulenc is a master of pure heartfelt, yet drunken, whimsical nostalgia, with impulsive moments of sheer beauty. Probably my favorite piece of his. Thank you for publishing this performance! Previously I had it only on a 3rd generation cassette copy. Do you know where I could buy the score to study it?
John Hedger ROFL! You are an ignorant uncreative ass. A composition teacher is a flunky who doesn't compose for a living. Otherwise, note that Poulenc's music is being performed whilst the composition teacher hasn't a creative clue.
And, oh yes, my music is heard in feature movies.
Easy Aspi, At least I am an uncreative ass who posts with my true name. You obviously don't understand the humor of my post. So, All composition professors are dilettantes? Does this include Paul Hindemith? And, no great composers ever benefited by taking composition lessons in their early stages? Ravel learned nothing studying composition under Gabriel Faure? I would be curious to hear all of these wonderful movie scores you are bragging about Mr. Anonymous! :)
+John Hedger John, I re-read your post, above. And you are right. I didn't read your entire post the first time. Sorry. Fortunately, YT has provided us with several performances. I have a mono LP of it with George Pretre conducting. Glad to hear this on YT because my analog disc skips. The performances here have the strings sound like real strings and not a distorted digitized version.
Tchaikovsky comes to mind, among others, as also having a sense of humor. His Nutcracker has a snatch of Sweet Rosy O'Grady (pun intended). And the pas de deux is a run up and own the scales. It became a pop hit song called "Here."
I have one notable (HAW!) example of a film score clever black humor. It's the title music from "Boys from Brazil" by Jerry Goldsmith. It's the Blue Danube Waltz by J. Strauss in the style of R. Strauss. The connection is that J. was Jewish and Richard was anti-Jewish. And the premise of the movie had to do with cloning Hitler in 95 boys. Rather stupid movie except for the clever title music.
+John Hedger That's why this turkey is teaching and not composing. Those that CAN, do. Those who can't teach.
+Roger Regor --- Schütz, Bach, Haydn, Schumann, Liszt, Schoenberg, Ligeti... do you know them? All of them were teachers... ;)
French horns sound a bit shy at times. Otherwise, quite good. I am used to George Pretre conducting the ORTF.
At 25:44 Poulenc cites himself from Les animaux modeles!
:) right on.
Hello Sone!
21:57 reminds me of the cartoon Hectors Hectic Life.
I caught a brief motif that sounded like from the pop song of yesteryear, "GIGI." Could be that the song was "borrowed" from some other French song. HUMM?
0:18 is a good place to start.
Natalie can take me out for drinks, dining and dancing any old time. :)
15:00 Holst's Venus anyone????
I’ve just come from Venus. It’s great.
Music starts at 0:19
What drugs has that lass on bass taken ?
None she simply has passion for this wonderful music.
This sinfonietta is not very well rated even by the critics the most favourable to Poulenc. Its inspiration and its orchestration are criticized. We ca judge here the merits and the limits of the score thanks to the perfect conducting of N; Stuzmann.
I love Nathalie Stutzmann, but to my ears this performance is much too romantic. The piece should be played as if it were Stravinky--which it almost is. As with so much French music, the correct expression is no expression.
Nope, too messy, out-of-tune, too little colour shades. Not together lots of times. It's the music that survives, not the performance.
Definitely right.
But Poulenc typically uses discords to break the illusion of classicism. Honestly I can't tell if they're out of tune accidentally or deliberately
as MIss Swan would say, "she ... look-a like-a man"
And you look like (and are, judging from your unimaginative and juvenile comment) a douchebag.
Much, much overrated composer and, even more, overrated work
Are you kidding?