Stéphane Denève: Poulenc Revisited

Francis Poulenc - La dame de Monte Carlo, Francis Poulenc - Les animaux modèles, Francis Poulenc - Gloria, Francis Poulenc - Les Dialogues des Carmelites: Prelude (uit 3e akte, scene 4), Francis Poulenc - Les Dialogues des Carmelites: Salve Regina. Programme Francis Poulenc La dame de Monte Carlo Francis Poulenc Les animaux modèles Francis Poulenc Gloria Francis Poulenc Les Dialogues des Carmelites: Prelude (uit 3e akte, scene 4) Francis Poulenc Les Dialogues des Carmelites: Salve Regina Stéphane Denève conducts the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest and Groot Omroepkoor in music by Poulenc, a composer with two faces: monk and rascal. Addiction and loss This SaturdayMatinee is entirely devoted to music by Francis Poulenc, with whom Stéphane Denève feels strongly connected. He demonstrated this three years ago with an entirely Poulenc programme. 'With Poulenc's music I have the feeling that I understand what lies between the lines', says Denève. 'When you hear a dramatic work by Poulenc, hope resounds through it at the same time.' La Dame de Monte-Carlo is a secular monologue for soprano and orchestra to a text by Jean Cocteau, a portrait of addiction and loss. The Suite Les animaux modèles is based on famous fables by Jean de la Fontaine, which this afternoon come to life with Pierre Bokma as narrator. Angels sticking out their tongues With the young Franco-Catalan soprano Lauranne Oliva, choir and orchestra devote themselves to Poulenc's famous Gloria. The swinging second movement caused a stir at the time. Poulenc on this: 'I was thinking of angels in frescoes by Gozzoli sticking out their tongues and of serious Benedictine monks I saw playing football'. He based the opera Dialogues des Carmélites on a historical event: during the French Revolution a group of nuns end as martyrs. The chilling final section depicts their fate with striking accuracy…