Poulenc, Francis : Theme varié As-Dur FP.151
Work Overview
Publication Year：1952
First Publisher：Eschig
Instrumentation：Piano Solo
Genre：variation
Total Playing Time：13 min 00 sec
Copyright：Under Copyright Protection
Commentary (1)
Author : Nagai, Tamamo
Last Updated: June 9, 2015
[Open]
Author : Nagai, Tamamo
One of Poulenc's representative piano works from his later years. It is said to have been composed between February and September 1951, but the actual composition work is believed to have been completed on August 15.
In the 1950s, Poulenc became increasingly aware of the need to reconcile his tonal musical language with the 'contemporary music' of the time. This can be seen in his remark, written in a letter to a friend during the composition of his opera Dialogues des Carmélites (premiered in 1957): 'My opera characters, alas, can only sing in tonality.' Thème varié is said to have been composed as a response to the musical trends of that era. The premiere took place on December 15, 1952, at Salle Gaveau, with Jacques Février at the piano.
The work is dedicated to Geneviève Sienkiewicz (1878-1971), a friend of Poulenc's mother and a pianist who displayed extraordinary talent in sight-reading. Poulenc also sent the published score to his close friend, pianist Vladimir Horowitz, inscribing it with the words, 'No one will be able to play this Thème like you.'
The theme, marked 'Quietly, never hurried,' is composed of a succession of highly tonal chords. While some sections, such as the 10th variation, marked 'Mysteriously, quite slowly,' feature a succession of dissonant sounds with notes added to clash with the constituent notes of consonant chords, the work fundamentally demonstrates Poulenc's clear tonal inclination from the 1st to the 11th variation.
Movements (13)
Theme (Tres calme et sans hate)
Total Performance Time: 1 min 30 sec
Variation I: Joyeuse (Allegro molto)
Total Performance Time: 0 min 30 sec
Variation III: Pastorale (Allegretto)
Total Performance Time: 1 min 20 sec
Variation IV: Sarcastique (Allegro molto, tres violent)
Total Performance Time: 0 min 30 sec
Variation V: Melancolique (Tres calme)
Total Performance Time: 1 min 00 sec
Variation VI: Ironique (Allegretto)
Total Performance Time: 0 min 40 sec
Variation VII: Elegiaque (Excessivement)
Total Performance Time: 1 min 50 sec
Variation VIII: Volubile (Presto)
Total Performance Time: 0 min 35 sec
Variation IX: Fantasque (Allegretto molto)
Total Performance Time: 0 min 30 sec
Variation X: Sybilline (Bien lent)
Total Performance Time: 0 min 45 sec
Variation XI: Finale (Allegro molto)
Total Performance Time: 1 min 50 sec