Poulenc - Gloria & Motets

Recorded 16-18 April 2007. Released March 2008

GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 2008 – NOMINEE
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR’S CHOICE & CRITICS’ CHOICE

“From the very outset of the Gloria it’s clear that this is a performance of real distinction… it is the vivid sense of unfettered joy.. .and the matchless intensity of feeling revealed in the motets that make this such a gloriously distinguished disc.” – Gramophone

The famous description of Poulenc as “half yob, half monk” is wondeerfully acknowledged by the composer in his 1959 ‘Gloria’ – “I had in mind those frescoes where the angels stick out their tongues, and also some serious Benedictine monks I had once seen revelling in a game of football.” Marking Stephen Layton’s first recording as Director of Music, this album also features Polyphony, Britten Sinfonia, and soloist Susan Gritton.

> Album page and digital booklet at Hyperion Records

This album is available on Spotify: use the embedded player below to listen to track previews; click on the album title to listen to the album in full on Spotify.