Poulenc: The Life in the Songs (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781631495236)

Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) is widely acknowledged as one of the twentieth century's most significant masters of vocal music --solo, choral, and operatic-- quite apart from his achievements in instrumental spheres. But what it cost him, and the determined bravery it took for his unusual talent to thrive, has always been underestimated. In this seminal biography, which will serve as the definitive guide to the songs, acclaimed collaborative pianist Graham Johnson shows that it is in Poulenc's extraordinary songs, and seeing how they fit into his life --which included crippling guilt on account of his sexuality-- that we discover Poulenc heart and soul. With Jeremy Sams's vibrant new song translations, the first in over forty years, and the insight that comes from a lifetime of performing this music, Johnson provides an essential volume for singers, pianists, listeners, and readers interested in the artistic milieu of modernism in the first half of the twentieth century.

Author: Graham Johnson
ISBN-10: 1631495232
ISBN-13: 9781631495236
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Language: English
Published: 06/23/2020
Pages: 576
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.05lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.10w x 1.80d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 03/09/2020
Library Journal 04/01/2020 pg. 98
Kirkus Reviews 04/01/2020 pg. 75