Francis Poulenc Concerto for two pianos
Playful virtuosity, Balinese sonorities and an affectionate nod to Mozart.
About the video
- Filmed 16 January 2025.
- The video is approximately 21 minutes.
Francis Poulenc composed his Concerto for Two Pianos in the summer of 1932 and was convinced that he had taken a major step forward as a composer. The music is typical of his ability to combine contrasting expressions with effortless ease – elegant and exuberant, lyrical and dreamlike, at times with a hint of the Parisian music hall.
In the rhythmically energetic first movement, short motifs and rapid runs are tossed back and forth between the two pianos. The previous year, Poulenc had heard a Balinese gamelan orchestra in Paris, and its distinctive percussion sonorities left their mark on the music. At the same time, the intense momentum is interrupted by dreamlike episodes and playful flights of fancy.
In the Larghetto, the concerto takes on a different character. Poulenc himself recalled that he kept Mozart’s piano concertos close at hand while composing the work, and the movement’s gentle opening clearly echoes the slow movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor. The finale returns to the swift, virtuosic energy of the opening movement. The two pianos spur each other onwards in music that combines Classical elegance with humour, incisive rhythms and daredevil flights of fancy.
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The music
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Francis Poulenc Concerto for two pianos and orchestra
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Participants
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Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
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Tabita Berglund conductor
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Lucas & Arthur Jussen piano
