Poulenc

Francis Poulenc (18991963) is widely acknowledged as one of the twentieth centurys most significant masters of vocal musicsolo, choral and operaticquite apart from his achievements in instrumental spheres. But what it cost him has been underestimated. In this seminal biography, which will serve as the definitive guide to the songs, Graham Johnson shows that it is in Poulencs extraordinary songs and seeing how they fit into his lifehis hidden sexuality, addiction and allthat we discover the composers essential artistic being. With Jeremy Samss song translations, the first in over forty years, and the insight that comes from a lifetime of performing this music, Johnson provides an essential volume for singers, pianists, listeners and readers interested in the artistic milieu of modernism in the first half of the twentieth century.