Country Concerto

Poulenc's Les Biches suite opens the ball with its sparkling cocktail of rococo elegance—Parisian salons are never far away, Poulenc frequented them assiduously!—and jazzy rhythms where woodwinds and strings converse in a spirited spirit. The Concerto champêtre then reveals all of Poulenc's audacity, which he had made his calling card: Justin Taylor, a refined harpsichord magician, explores the slightest contrasts between virtuoso traits and tend...