Valerie Souderes (piano)
Leighton Lucas Orchestra
(Leader, Ronald Good)
Conductor, Leighton Lucas
Poulenc's ' Aubade ' was originally written in 1929 for a ballet in which the chief character was the goddess Diana. The scene was a forest glade at daybreak. Despite her protests Diana's attendants insist on adorning her; and filled with an indefinable longing, she leaves them and goes off into the forest. The composer, however, has insisted that when performed apart from the ballet the Concerto is to be regarded as a piece of absolute music. It consists of eight short sections, all of which are linked together: Toccata, Recitative, Rondo, Presto, Recitative, Andame, Allegro feroce, Conclusion. The instruments used in the score are a trumpet, drums, and two each of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, violas, cellos, and double basses. Valerie Souderes, who is playing the solo part, is British by birth but has lived in Paris for some years; she studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where she won a number of important prizes.
Harold Rutland