Classical Music | Ensemble Music

Francis Poulenc

Trio for Piano, Oboe, and Bassoon Play Play

Ensemble

Recorded on 08/11/2010, uploaded on 01/13/2011

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Crystal Hall, Oboe, Karl Rzasa, Bassoon, Adam Marks, Piano

I. Presto; II. Andante; III. Rondo

During the 1920s Poulenc consciously began to pursue a neo-Classical ideal, fashioning many of his works in the molds of Stravinsky and late Debussy. In his Trio for piano, oboe and bassoon—the composer's first true chamber work—he imitated the French Baroque style, with its emphasis on clarity, balance, simplicity and a generous dose of humor. In a letter to the critic Claude Rostand, Poulenc admitted that "I love my Trio because it sounds clear and it is well balanced."

The Trio, which is cast in a traditional three-movement form is imbued with elegant symmetries throughout. As Poulenc acknowledged, the first movement rather self-consciously emulates Haydn, while the Rondo draws from the Scherzo of Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 2. Yet a sly sense of humor is never far beneath the surface. Early in the first movement, the oboe and bassoon play a mocking variation on the military bugle call "Taps," as angular piano chords provide a jazzy foundation that suggests Duke Ellington. The Andante is Mozartian in character, while the Rondo is brisk and whimsical.