Poulenc reviews

Poulenc’s delightful and often moving Mass in G sprang from a mid-life reconversion to the faith of his youth. The prevalent mood is one of celebration which St John’s Choir captures admirably; there is also a lively engagement with the contrasts which make the Gloria so appealing. Poulenc’s tendency to pair phrases can, in the wrong hands, lead to a slightly monotonous effect, but with careful shading, as is the case here with Andrew Nethsingha, the results add significantly to the music’s sense of direction. 

‘Playing of such consummate ease combined with involvement and attention to detail’

Deux

Poulenc: Violin Sonata; Delibes arr. Dohnányi; Waltz from Coppélia; Bartok: Violin Sonata No.2; Ravel: Tzigane

Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin), Polina Leschenko (piano)

Alpha Classics Alpha 387   52:57 mins

The British-Israeli Yaniv d’Or moves into a different repertory for his recital disc, and one that countertenors rarely explore: the music of 19th- and 20th-century French and German composers, some of whom will probably never have encountered a voice of his type. In theory, there’s no reason for the voice and the music to be held apart, though in practice the result frequently proves less than ideal. In the great Schumann cycle Dichterliebe, d’Or’s musicianship is apparent but so is a limited range of dynamics and colour.