Album

The Swedish Stockholms Poulenc-ensemble was founded by leader Sonny Jansson in 1998 in advance of the centenary of composer Francis Poulenc. Although the focus on Poulenc in a specific sense has never wavered, the group has expanded its mission to include other French composers, such as Milhaud and Berlioz, and it is likely the foremost standard-bearer of French music within the Swedish music scene. This Nosag release was recorded by Swedish Radio in 2005 and therefore documents the activities of the Stockholms Poulenc-ensemble for the world, though the notes are in Swedish and French only. The booklet is of interesting design in that the French notes are printed upside down in relation to the Swedish; Francophiles can simply switch it around and have a primarily French-language book.

The program is an interesting mix of choral and chamber works—the sacred Litanies à la Vierge noire, Mass in G, and the motet Ave verum corpus rub shoulders with Poulenc's Clarinet Sonata, the piano piece Mélancolie, and Poulenc's oh-so-secular choruses Sécheresses. In both packaging and selection, it appears that Nosag and the Stockholms Poulenc-ensemble are attempting to present the music of Poulenc within an ECM-styled context, which in itself is not a bad idea. Nevertheless, they are let down by Swedish Radio's recording, which is far too distant—ridiculously so in the choral works—and a bit too loud in the instrumental ones. Those who brave the constant shifting of the volume knob will find that the French pronunciation employed by the Stockholms Poulenc-ensemble is very good, and that the performances, both instrumental and vocal, are serviceable but less than sparkling. Let's hope that the Stockholms Poulenc-ensemble will simply try again.

© Uncle Dave Lewis , Rovi

CD 1
Francis Poulenc Composer Litanies à la Vierge Noire, for women's chorus and organ (or strings and timpani), FP82 Work Stockholms Poulenc-ensemble Vocal Ensemble, Nils Larsson Organ
1	Litanies à la Vierge Noire, for women's chorus and organ (or strings and timpani), FP82	8:49			$1.49
Francis Poulenc Composer Mass in G, FP89 Work 18:47 Stockholms Poulenc-ensemble Vocal Ensemble
2	1.Kyrie	3:38			$0.99
3	2.Gloria	3:48			$0.99
4	3.Sanctus	2:28			$0.99
5	4.Benedictus	3:49			$0.99
6	5.Agnus Dei	5:04			$0.99
Francis Poulenc Composer Mélancolie, FP105 Work Love Derwinger Piano
7	Mélancolie, FP105	5:53			$0.99
Francis Poulenc Composer Ave verum corpus, for female chorus, Op.154 Work Stockholms Poulenc-ensemble Vocal Ensemble
8	Ave verum corpus, for female chorus, Op.154	2:46			$0.99
Francis Poulenc Composer Clarinet Sonata, FP184 Work 13:16 Staffan Mårtensson Clarinet, Love Derwinger Piano
9	1.Allegro tristamente	5:10			$0.99
10	2.Romanza: Très calme	4:56			$0.99
11	3.Allegro con fuoco	3:10			$0.99
Francis Poulenc Composer Sécheresses, cantata for chorus and orchestra, FP90 Work 17:05 Stockholms Poulenc-ensemble Vocal Ensemble, Love Derwinger Piano
12	1.Les sauterelles	6:23			$0.99
13	2.Le village abandonné	3:50			$0.99
14	3.Le faux avenir	2:19			$0.99
15	4.Le squelette de la mer	4:33			$0.99