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Half Monk | Half Rascal

Half Monk | Half Rascal

Choeurs a capella

On this release Stephen Layton and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, put together a program representing both Poulenc`s secular and sacred choral music.

This cd is launched in connection to the much praised release of The Nightingale: “New Nordic Music for Recorder and Choir” (2011) with Michala Petri and Danish National Vocal Ensemble. One further cd is planned for next year.

Poulenc was a man of contradictions. The traditionalists called him a modernist, the modernists called him old-fashioned. The contradictions were almost glaring: a declared homosexual and devout Catholic in the first half of the twentieth century! Courageous? Indeed!

He wrote modern music but couldn’t help creating melodies. That was to be both his good fortune and his misfortune. He knew so much about instruments and voices, and his music sounded so good that it could be regarded as poppish, and many people were loath to admit him to the serious musical world of Europe. Some snobs spoke of “French elegance”.

Reviews

Half Monk | Half Rascal

June 4, 2012

Magazine Classical Music (UK) 5 star review (-full house!)

Guy Weatherall

Half Monk | Half Rascal

June 4, 2012

Gramophone (UK) Nominated for a Gramophone Award

Marc Rochester

Half Monk | Half Rascal

June 3, 2012

BBC Music Magazine, (UK) 5 out of 5 stars!

Roger Nichols

Half Monk | Half Rascal

May 18, 2012

The Arts Desk (UK)- It has a killer ending. Fabulous, in other words.

Graham Rickson

Half Monk | Half Rascal

May 4, 2012

Choir and Organ (UK) 4 out of 5 stars

Brian Morton

Half Monk | Half Rascal

March 8, 2012

Classicalmusic.com (UK)-"There is much here to savour.'

Robert Anderson

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