Souvenirs - Cello and Piano

Souvenirs

Based on incidental music written for the play "Le Voyageur sans baggage," this piece for cello and piano was unpublished until 2016. The music reflects the situation of the protagonist: solitude, sadness, and fear of oblivion.

"A previously unreleased piece by Francois Poulenc, published with permission from the Bibliotheque Historique de la Ville de Paris and Benoit Seringe, secretary of the Association des amis de Francis Poulenc (Association of the Friends of Francis Poulenc).

"Le Voyageur sans bagage (The Traveller without Luggage), which had been premiered in 1937 with music by Darius Milhaud, was reprised on 1 April 1944 at the Theatre de la Michodiere; Francis Poulenc was asked to compose new stage music. The entire unpublished score lay undiscovered until Berengere de l'Epine, a librarian at the Bibliotheque Historique de la Ville de Paris, announced the existence of a manuscript in the Association de la Regie Theatrale collection. P

"Poulenc finalised the score between 19 and 21 March 1944. It contains nine songs, all written for a small instrumental ensemble including oboe, clarinet, cello and piano. However, at the end of the manuscript, the composer echoes the second song - Lent (Slow) - and creates another version for cello and piano; curiously, the original version of the song has not been erasedin the manuscript. Poulenc seems to suggest that we consider the piece for cello and piano, that we have published here, as a different piece of music. It was premiered on Wednesday 23 January 2013 by Marc Coppey, accompanied by Jean-Francois Heisser, in the organ auditorium of the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), during the symposium for the fiftieth anniversary of Poulenc's death." -- Herve Lacombe