Sonate pour
violoncelle et piano, Op. 143 was sketched out by Francis Poulenc in 1940 but not completed
until 1948. It is dedicated to the French cellist Pierre Fournier
who assisted the composer with some technical aspects of the cello. Cast in four movements, each of which is in a three-part form with a contrasting middle section, the sonata makes much use of Neo-Baroque and Neo-Classical styles. Throughout the piece, Poulenc fixed on marrying the piano's soaring passion with the cello's rich textures.
The opening Allegro - tempo di marcia displays
an autumnal lyricism. The second
movement, a grave Cavatina shows Poulenc's preference for subtle, mellow
piano playing which he so admired. The
opening homophonic piano section of the movement seems almost hymnlike. The third movement is a Ballabile-a type of dance music often found in 19th
century opera-instead of the usual scherzo, although the two are very similar in
character.The Ballabile
is marked,'very lively and gay', and one feels the vivacity of
chatter amongst friends. The Finale offers two dramatic sections of
profound gravity surrounding a Presto
section.
Classical Music | Cello Music
Francis Poulenc
Sonata for Cello and Piano Play
Recorded on 11/28/2009, uploaded on 02/09/2010
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Sonata for Cello and Piano Francis Poulenc
Tempo di Marcia; Cavatine; Ballabile; Finale
Sonate pour violoncelle et piano, Op. 143 was sketched out by Francis Poulenc in 1940 but not completed until 1948. It is dedicated to the French cellist Pierre Fournier who assisted the composer with some technical aspects of the cello. Cast in four movements, each of which is in a three-part form with a contrasting middle section, the sonata makes much use of Neo-Baroque and Neo-Classical styles. Throughout the piece, Poulenc fixed on marrying the piano's soaring passion with the cello's rich textures.
The opening Allegro - tempo di marcia displays an autumnal lyricism. The second movement, a grave Cavatina shows Poulenc's preference for subtle, mellow piano playing which he so admired. The opening homophonic piano section of the movement seems almost hymnlike. The third movement is a Ballabile-a type of dance music often found in 19th century opera-instead of the usual scherzo, although the two are very similar in character. The Ballabile is marked,'very lively and gay', and one feels the vivacity of chatter amongst friends. The Finale offers two dramatic sections of profound gravity surrounding a Presto section.
More music by Francis Poulenc
Sonata for Flute and Piano
Sonata for Cello and Piano
Hommage à Edith Piaf
Mon cadavre est doux comme un gant, from Fiançailles pour rire
Les soirées de Nazelles
Fiançailles pour Rire
Les chemins de l'amour
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra
Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, FP 146
Three Novelettes for piano
Performances by same musician(s)
Le Grand Tango for Cello and Piano
Piano Trio in E-flat Major, Opus 70, No. 2
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