Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Fifteen Improvisations, FP 63, 113, 170, 176
Three Novelettes, FP 47
Three Intermezzi, FP 71, 118
Presto in B-flat Major, FP 70
Thème varié, FP 151
Mélancolie, FP 105
Paul Berkowitz (piano)
rec. 2023, St. Peter’s Church, Boughton Monchelsea, UK
Meridian CDE84674 [52]
On my very first trip to Paris, I attended a concert of piano music by members of Les Six (Milhaud, Honegger, Tailleferre, Poulenc, Durey and Auric). Nearly five decades on, I recall neither the name of the pianist nor the exact repertoire. But the main event was a fascinating performance of Poulenc’s Improvisations for Piano. I have enjoyed and appreciated these sophisticated numbers ever since.
Poulenc wrote the fifteen Improvisations between 1932 and 1959, yet – as the liner notes correctly say – the set is “clearly conceived […] as a single growing collection”. Poulenc remained proud of them, even if he belittled many of his other piano works.
Each Improvisation gets a dedication, sometimes to fellow composers. Poulenc dedicated the tender second to Louis Durey, and offered the enigmatic fifth to Georges Auric. In the twelfth, subtitled “Hommage à Schubert”, he captured the essence of a Viennese waltz but with his own take on the form. He dedicated the final Improvisation to the legendary French singer, Édith Piaf. Its “bittersweet and passionate style” makes it a moving tribute to the iconic star. This was my favourite number 46 years ago, and it remains so today.
The first of the 2 Novelettes nods towards Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words; its pastoral musings are presented in a flowing manner. The second is “jazzy and chromatic” with “spicy harmonies” and a surprise ending. The Novelette in E Minor on a Theme of Manuel de Falla, composed three decades later, was a contribution to a commemorative publication, The House of Chester, 1860-1960 Album. The volume included music by Lennox Berkeley, Eugene Goossens, John Ireland and Gian Francesco Malipiero. The lengthy theme sourced from de Falla’s El amor brujo is not developed but simply repeated several times with a subtle accompaniment “bathed in pedals”.
The three Intermezzi have often been grouped together. The first has been described as a “whirlwind tour of Paris”, ideally accompanying a scene from Chaplin’s Modern Times. Poulenc dedicated the second to the socialite and singer, la comtesse Jean de Polignac. It opens with a wistful tune, develops with complex chromaticism before rising to a climax and closing quietly – all in the space of four minutes. The third Intermezzo, written when the Germans were occupying the capital city, is modelled on Chopin or Fauré. It has been noted that in the final bars Poulenc presented a sequence of twelve chords in all the keys. This was altogether a beacon of hope in deeply troubling times.
The diminutive Presto in B flat major written for Vladimir Horowitz makes a splendid encore. It balances elegance with virtuosity.
Thème varié is an uneven work. Each variation is of considerable interest, but overall the work lacks cohesion. A tranquil theme Très calme et sans hâte precedes eleven diverse variations, each with a suggestive title. For example, there is a light-hearted Joyeuse, a turgid Noble, an idyllic Pastorale, a violent Sarcastique and a pensive Mélancolique. The last variation/finale is relatively massive. For me, it spoils the balance of the piece, even though it contains interesting and effective music. Poulenc composed the Thème varié at his country house at Noizay, and dedicated it to Geneviève Sienkiewicz, a family friend.
The recital concludes with the thoughtful Mélancolie, written in the communes of Talence and Brive, not too far away from Bordeaux, shortly after the Fall of France. Poulenc dedicated it to his chauffeur and dear friend Raymond Destouches. It is in Poulenc’s favourite key of D flat major, structured in ternary form with a complex middle section. It is signed to be played with “the song softly brought out” with an accompaniment “very wrapped in pedals”. Geoffrey Bush had suggested that the melancholy is not overstated, as might be expected due to the historical circumstances, but “suggests a nostalgia for past happiness, tinged with regret because it can never return”.
Paul Berkowitz, a Canadian pianist born in Montreal, is a graduate of McGill University and the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied under Rudolf Serkin. He currently serves as Professor of Piano at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is renowned for his interpretations of Schubert’s piano works; he has recently completed a nine-CD survey of the composer’s major pieces.
The soloist has devised the booklet. He gives a detailed introduction to, and analysis of, these pieces. The recording is excellent.
Any performance of Poulenc’s music must focus on the wide contrasts of style and tempo, with moods that range from lively and rhythmic to brooding and sentimental. Add to this the inherent wit and the trademark urbanity. The disc presents a comprehensive conspectus of this achievement. Paul Berkowitz has encapsulated in his recording the huge variety of these near-perfect vignettes.
John France
Previous review: Richard Masters (July 2025)
Availability: Meridian
