Sept Chansons / Mass in G / Motets for the Season

Brought up in the Roman Catholic faith, which he abandoned in 1917 following the death of his father, Poulenc returned to the Church in 1936 after the death of his close friend and fellow composer Pierre-Octave Ferroud. Together these events caused a spiritual crisis in Poulenc’s life which led to a series of compositions for chorus. The powerful Mass in G major, dedicated to the memory of his father, is notable for it's daring use of tonality, though the playfulness of Poulenc’s ‘Les Six’ period is not absent. In the 7 Chansons, set to surrealist texts, and in the 2 sets of Motets – both very personal and penitential – Poulencgenerates a huge range of emotion.