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Divine Art

Poulenc: Music for Two Pianos

$18.99

Details

Composer
Francis Poulenc
Artist
Antony Gray, Rob Hao, Helen Miles, Alise Silina
Format
CD
Label
Divine Art
Released
Jun 26, 2026
Catalog #
DDX21149
UPC
809730114922

About

In June 2026 Divine Art is delighted to present Francis Poulenc: Music for Two Pianos performed by pianists Antony Gray and Rob Hao. Among the highlights of this superb new release are the first commercial audio recording of Antony Gray's own transcription for two pianos of Poulenc's score from the film Voyage en Amerique, the first recording of Poulenc's two piano reduction of the Concert Champetre, plus the recently discovered Valse de musique de soie. A superb pianist as well as a composer, Poulenc's works for piano are without exception charming, delightful and gratifyingly written. However, most of his piano music comes from the early part of his career, as Poulenc destroyed many of his later works, including a number for four hands/two pianos. The two-piano works on this album represent those later periods when he was at the height of his powers. The first comes from his delightful score, which was sadly lost, for the 1951 film about a couple from rural France on their first ever flight, Voyage en Amerique. Antony Gray tracked down a copy of the soundtrack, which was scored for two pianos, and transcribed it himself, realising this was the only way of recovering the score, and presents it here with Rob Hao in it's first commercial standalone recording. To complete the transcription of the soundtrack, Gray also includes the song, Adieu Maison, with soprano Helen Miles, and a Valse, in which the two pianos are joined by an accordion, performed by Alise Silina. Gray and Hao also present a later version of this work entitled Embarquement pour Cythere, scored only for two pianos. The Sonata for two pianos, arguably Poulenc's finest keyboard work, is emotionally dark and looks forward to the tenderness and anguish of the Dialogues des Carmelites. Very few works in the piano duo repertoire match this sonata in power and emotional force -aggressive dissonance is contrasted with passages of achingly beautiful material. One of his final keyboard works is the deeply emotional Elegie in which as with all Poulenc's music for two pianos, the material throughout is passed equally between the two instruments. The Concert Champetre, originally written as a concerto for harpsichord and orchestra, was reworked for two pianos, and despite missing the rich orchestral palette it's a strong work in it's own right, and is given it's first recording here. Poulenc's other works for two pianos will be made available as bonus digital-only tracks accompanying the album. The first will feature Sonate pour piano a 4 mains, written in 1918 when Poulenc was only 19 years old. It was influenced by Satie and Stravinsky, as well as Chabrier, yet is already stylistically unique and a real achievement for such a young composer. The Capriccio for two pianos is a transcription by Poulenc of the Finale of his cantata Le Bal Masque, with hilarious and surreal music, befitting the cantata text by Max Jacob. The album will be completed by the Valse de musique de soie for solo piano, performed by Antony Gray, a work only recently rediscovered in 2017. Antony Gray and Rob Hao, both pianists and composers, are from Australia. Antony Gray has long been regarded as one of the most interesting and communicative performers of his generation with many solo and chamber music performances around the world and many pieces written for and premiered by him. His recordings for Divine Art have included music by Malcolm Williamson, John Carmichael, and an acclaimed set of Saint-Saëns piano music. Rob Hao's compositions and performances have taken him across Australia, the UK and continental Europe, and he has given regional and world premieres of over thirty works in both ensemble and solo settings. His debut solo recording 'Palimpsest' for Divine Art explores how music and styles from different times interact and inspire new ideas.

Tracklist 27 tracks

  1. 1 L'embarquement pour Cythère, FP 150 02:20
    Track
    1
    Title
    L'embarquement pour Cythère, FP 150
    Duration
    02:20
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  2. 2 I. Allegro Molto 10:43
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Allegro Molto
    Duration
    10:43
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  3. 3 II. Andante 06:25
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    06:25
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  4. 4 III. Finale: Presto 08:35
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Finale: Presto
    Duration
    08:35
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  5. 5 Élégie for 2 Pianos, FP 175 05:49
    Track
    5
    Title
    Élégie for 2 Pianos, FP 175
    Duration
    05:49
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  6. 6 I. Prologue 06:18
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Prologue
    Duration
    06:18
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  7. 7 II. Allegro molto 05:14
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Allegro molto
    Duration
    05:14
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  8. 8 III. Andante lyrico 05:37
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Andante lyrico
    Duration
    05:37
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  9. 9 IV. Épilogue 04:44
    Track
    9
    Title
    IV. Épilogue
    Duration
    04:44
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  10. 10 Ia. — 02:01
    Track
    10
    Title
    Ia. —
    Duration
    02:01
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  11. 11 Ib. — 00:59
    Track
    11
    Title
    Ib. —
    Duration
    00:59
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  12. 12 II. — 00:24
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. —
    Duration
    00:24
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  13. 13 III. — 00:44
    Track
    13
    Title
    III. —
    Duration
    00:44
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  14. 14 IV. — 01:02
    Track
    14
    Title
    IV. —
    Duration
    01:02
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  15. 15 V. — 00:42
    Track
    15
    Title
    V. —
    Duration
    00:42
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  16. 16 VI. — 01:40
    Track
    16
    Title
    VI. —
    Duration
    01:40
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  17. 17 VII. — 00:26
    Track
    17
    Title
    VII. —
    Duration
    00:26
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  18. 18 VIII. — 00:34
    Track
    18
    Title
    VIII. —
    Duration
    00:34
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  19. 19 IX. — 00:53
    Track
    19
    Title
    IX. —
    Duration
    00:53
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  20. 20 X. — 00:57
    Track
    20
    Title
    X. —
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  21. 21 XI. — 00:31
    Track
    21
    Title
    XI. —
    Duration
    00:31
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  22. 22 XII. — 01:40
    Track
    22
    Title
    XII. —
    Duration
    01:40
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  23. 23 XIII. — 01:09
    Track
    23
    Title
    XIII. —
    Duration
    01:09
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  24. 24 XIV. — 00:37
    Track
    24
    Title
    XIV. —
    Duration
    00:37
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  25. 25 XV. — 00:35
    Track
    25
    Title
    XV. —
    Duration
    00:35
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray
  26. 26 Valse for Accordion 02:16
    Track
    26
    Title
    Valse for Accordion
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Rob Hao, Antony Gray, Alise Silina
  27. 27 Adieu Maison 01:42
    Track
    27
    Title
    Adieu Maison
    Duration
    01:42
    Composer
    Francis Poulenc
    Performer
    Helen Miles, Antony Gray