Concert champêtre

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Concert champêtre
FP
49
Composed1927 (1927)–28

Concert champêtre (French:

which also exists in a version for piano solo with very slight changes in the solo part.

It was written in 1927–28 for the harpsichordist

El retablo de Maese Pedro (at the premiere of which, at the salon of Winnaretta Singer
, Poulenc and Landowska met for the first time).

After a private performance in which Poulenc played the orchestral parts on the piano, the piece's public premiere was on May 3, 1929 at the

Orchestre Symphonique de Paris conducted by Pierre Monteux. The work is scored for an orchestra of two flutes, piccolo, two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, timpani, side drums (with and without snares), tambourine, triangle, bass drum, cymbals, xylophone, and strings (the usual two sections of violins, violas, cellos and double basses
—Poulenc stipulates eight each of first and second violins, and four each of violas, cellos and basses).

The piece is in three movements:

  1. Allegro molto – Adagio – Allegro molto
  2. Andante: Mouvement de
    Sicilienne
  3. Finale: Presto très gai

The piece alludes to music of the

neoclassical compositions.[3]

A typical performance of the Concert champêtre lasts around twenty-five minutes.

Like many harpsichord works from the 20th century, this piece was written for the 'revival' Pleyel contemporary harpsichord, with metal frame, pedals, leather plectra and heavy touch, which was prevalent at the time, rather than historic instruments from the 17th and 18th century. However, Trevor Pinnock has played and recorded it on a 3-manual Hass instrument with disposition 16' 8' 8 ' 4' 2', lute, 2 buffs, 2 couplers.[citation needed]

A recording of Poulenc himself playing the work, but on the piano, with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Dimitri Mitropoulos on 14 November 1948, was issued in 1998 as part of a 10-CD survey of historic broadcast recordings by that orchestra.[4]

References

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