Sonata for two pianos • Sonata for clarinet and bassoon
Sonata for horn, trumpet and trombone • Sonata for two clarinets
Elégie for two pianos • Sonata for piano duet
Cappriccio d’après Le bal masquè for two pianos • L’embarquement pour Cythère

Francis Poulenc, one of the most famous names in French music of the twentieth century, was an outstanding pianist who composed for the instrument throughout his long career. His scores for solo and piano duet include two highly attractive Sonatas, both characterised by those bittersweet melodies that form an essential ingredient of Poulenc’s most popular works. In the early part of his career Poulenc experimented with unusual combinations of wind instruments. The three sonatas included on this disc reveal a highly attractive, yet little known part of the composer’s output.

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‘The Sonata for horn, trumpet, and trombone is a fairly mature, novel, exciting work that gets an A+ performance here. Did I mention the sonics? Naxos has found a way to get the sheet-metal edge off their sound. This is excellent-warm, cozy, and digitally clean.’

– American Record Guide