Reviewing this is part of the resolution I made in the last year or so to listen to more Poulenc. Of the six works presented here, I was only familiar with the Sonata for Two Pianos, heard on an Onyx release earlier this year (review). In that review, I described the work as “having an atmosphere of disquiet and anxiety for much of its twenty-plus minutes. The rhythms are more edgy, the humour seems forced and the dissonance more spiky. Even the lovely melodies feel more restrained and melancholy”. I also remarked that quicker performances seemed to work better, and here Hao and Gray adopt similar tempos to Pascal Rogé and Elena Font on Onyx, except in the slow movement where they are significantly quicker. The main difference, however, is in the style of playing, where Hao and Gray emphasise the percussive nature of the piano, and at the risk of cultural stereotyping,  Rogé and Font sound more French. I preferred the performance of the latter.

The Concert Champêtre was originally composed for harpsichord and orchestra, and Poulenc reworked it a few times into different forms, including this one for two pianos. I’m no great admirer of the harpsichord, but I do see it as an ideal instrument for Poulenc’s humour, of which there is an abundance here, especially in the Finale. The two piano version lacks the orchestral colouring and sounds more “serious” than the original. Where it does have an advantage, for the most part, is in the Andante, where there are occasions that the harpsichord version sounds like the soundtrack from a vampire movie from the silent era. However, the big orchestral climaxes are transformed in the two piano version into hard, aggressive chords which are frankly unpleasant. Perhaps that’s how Poulenc intended them, but I suspect the playing style of the performers makes it more obvious.

Poulenc’s score for the 1951 film Le Voyage en Amérique did not survive, so this “suite” of sixteen short fragments is a transcription from the film. It has something of the silent movie feel to it, and is probably of most interest to the real Poulenc enthusiast, which I don’t consider myself … yet. I get the sense that Poulenc didn’t have to expend too much effort in composing this. The fourth fragment includes a non-musical sound like a metal tray being dropped – presumably part of the action in the film – and it came so unexpectedly, I jumped in my seat; you have been warned! I’m not really a fan of the accordion but the Valse that closes the suite sounds so French, how could one not be charmed? I couldn’t find another recording of this, though I did see one of a song – Chants de marins – from the film.

Of the three short pieces, Élégie is by far the pick. Written after the death in 1959 of Poulenc’s close friend, Marie-Blanche de Polignac, it uses a form that may be unique in the two piano literature: until the coda, it is comprised entirely of chords that alternate between the two pianos. L’embarquement pour Cythère – an alternative version of the Valse – was the only part of Le Voyage en Amérique published in the composer’s lifetime, a request by the American piano duo of Robert Fizdale and Arthur Gold, and is sweet but slight, redolent of the music hall. The song Adieu Maison, for soprano and single piano, is included (despite the album title), because of the two songs on the soundtrack of Le Voyage en Amérique, it had not been recorded. As for the song itself, it’s well outside my listening area, so all I can say is that it sounds well performed.

I found the hard edge of Hao and Gray’s playing a little tiring at times, but unquestionably they capture the Poulenc soundworld very well. The booklet notes are really quite excellent, and the sound very clean and devoid of any extraneous sounds (except that tray). While my review copy was a download, it did not come with the bonus pieces, so I can make no comment.

Poulenc enthusiasts will certainly want to hear this, likewise those with a passion for two piano music.