Francis Poulenc was a French composer and pianist of the twentieth century, born and largely based in Paris, with a country retreat at Noizay in the Loire valley. A member of the group of composers known as Les Six, he wrote extensively across genres, including songs, solo piano music, chamber and choral works, ballets, and operas, moving between witty, urbane pieces and deeply felt religious compositions such as his opera Dialogues des Carmélites and the Gloria. He died of a heart attack at his Paris apartment in 1963, at the age of 64.

Once dismissed by some critics as a lightweight entertainer, Poulenc is now recognized as one of the most distinctive French voices of his century, prized for combining melodic clarity and Gallic wit with genuine emotional and spiritual depth. Dialogues des Carmélites has become a staple of the modern operatic repertoire, and his songs remain central to the French mélodie tradition. An early champion of recorded music, he helped bring his own works and those of his contemporaries to wide audiences through the gramophone.

Compare recordings piece by piece — 1 work of Francis Poulenc with more than one performance on the site →

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Poulenc