Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Poulenc

The opening of the Duparc rippled diaphanously in Martineau's hands as the seductive but pure silver of Karg's voice.

Dame Sarah Connolly and Julius Drake savour the al fresco surrounds of the Villa Foce to produce a delightful evening of eclectic music in four languages. Delizioso!

We anticipated a Ukrainian barihunk singing Tchaikovsky, but ended up with an English rose singing Strauss.

Stephen Unwin's straight direction and some talented young singers from the Royal Academy of Music Opera school made these two works a real treat. 

A packed recital given by mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly at Brighton Festival.    

One wonders why Emma Dante's concept, which explores the plight of women crushed by romantic catastrophes, is not done more often.

Milhaud reported “a spirit of carefree gaiety reigned” in 1920s Paris, a spirit Marcela Roggeri and François Chaplin's varied programme aimed to evoke.

Notwithstanding Esfahani and McKeish’s sterling account of the Poulenc and the orchestra’s thrilling take on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, this was not a consistent enough concert to be called a complete success.

Poulenc's one-act, one-side-of-a-phone-conversation opera provides a perfect vehicle for Anne-Sophie Duprels to demonstrate her talents as a singing actor.

Antonacci's voice shines even in the art songs that pad out the evening, but it's Poulenc's one-act opera that gives San Francisco Opera Lab's current offering dramatic weight (and makes it worth seeing).

Wheeldon’s vocabulary, Ratmansky’s Lyricism, Pastor’s roaring engine and Dawson’s mesmerising planetary roaming little prince Edo Wijnen, make for a happy afternoon. 

The Hallé under Cristian Măcelaru performs a thrilling concert of works inspired by legends, along with Poulenc's Organ Concerto. 

Britten’s Ceremony of Carols with pieces by Tavener, MacMillan and Lauridsen contrast with Byrd and Dowland in a thoughtful and moving performance of Christmas musical icons from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus.

Shakespeare songs turned out to be more of a Shakespeare feast starring Antonio Pappano, Ian Bostridge and the exceptional Eve Best.

Since its formation four years ago, the young ensemble Quatuor Van Kuijk has been bagging numerous competition prizes and accumulating international acclaim.

French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie brought Italy to London in a lunchtime recital which perfectly captured the vivid sights, sounds and colours of Naples and Venice.

A lush programme of Fauré, Stravinsky, and Poulenc is let down by Minkowski's erratic conducting, but is partially redeemed by two of France's fastest rising singers.

Conductor Tomáš Netopil reprises the spirit of the festival and adds a modern burnish with an energetic performance of a smart, satisfying program.

Suave baritone Stéphane Degout was mood – and word – perfect in the brooding melancholy of Debussy. In perfect collusion with pianist Alain Planès, he was even better in droll fables by Poulenc and Ravel.

In an eclectic program  by Karina Gauvin and pianist Maciej Pikuski at the Concertgebouw’s recital hall, Debussy’s Forgotten Songs stand out.

An energetic concert marked by a true dedication to the music. 

Paris in the springtime: cold winds, driving rain and even a flurry of snow. Tonight, courtesy of Debussy’s Printemps, something a little more seasonal raised the temperature.

A dream matchup of Janine Jansen with Alexander Gavrylyuk spoiled the audience at the Concertgebouw in this must-hear collaboration. Tonight’s programme included sonatas from Brahms, Prokofiev, Poulenc and a sublime rendition of Szymanowski’s Trois Mythes.

Prokofiev’s much-loved Peter and the Wolf and Poulenc’s Babar, the Little Elephant made for a jolly children’s programme at the Tonhalle, even despite a major mishap.

Romanian conductor Cristian Măcelaru was rapturously received as guest conductor for this brilliantly original and eclectic programme with the Hallé. 

Dutch National Opera performs Poulenc’s first opera, Les mamelles de Tirésias, as a project of the company’s talent development program... a fun occasion to witness the much lighter “voyou” side of the French composer.

A daring, fascinating pairing of two modern operas by Krzysztof Warlikowski in Paris. 

After showing in 13 theatres around the world, Robert Carsen’s Dialogues des carmélites returns again to Amsterdam, where it was premiered in 1997. Almost 20 years on, its finale remains a shattering theatrical experience.

Watery September sunshine and an autumnal air hung over Wigmore Hall, appropriate conditions for a recital of late clarinet sonatas.

A morning of wonderful and varied chamber music from the Budapest Festival Orchestra Soloists in Edinburgh.

A group of excellent singers and the Orchestra of St Luke's led by Will Crutchfield succeeded in presenting a moving concert performance of Poulenc's gut-wrenching opera.

The celebratory, cerebral and contradictory elements inherent in this diverse programme of Haydn, Mozart, Poulenc and Stravinsky didn’t quite disguise some uneven performances in Søndergård’s third prom concert.

Dutch National Ballet closes a vibrant season with Cool Britannia, including exciting world premieres by David Dawson and Christopher Wheeldon and a sensational performance of Wayne McGregor's Chroma.

With a witty and adventurous program and dazzling performances of each song, Stephanie Blythe and Warren Jones did not disappoint.

Harry Bicket's eclectic, Baroque-centered program shows the many side of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Joseph Middleton and Carolyn Sampson were perfectly matched in Fleurs, the final concert of Leeds Lieder's Day of Song at The Venue in Leeds.

Anna Caterina Antonacci's rare appearance in New York was another rewarding occasion to savor, with a recital of French songs followed by an unforgettable performance of Poulenc's La voix humaine.

A contrasting Double Bill of classic Purcell and a little-known French absurdist opera by Poulenc provides an entertaining evening of contrasts.

As part of the Philharmonia's City of Light series, the Gould Trio performed two Impressionist Piano Trios around two contrasting French Duos.

A safe performance of Poulenc's extraordinary opera in Washington, lacking in pity and terror.

She made cynics swoon and skeptics burst: Jessye Norman, along with pianist Mark Markham, serenaded eager listeners with love songs from the Great American Songbook and 20th-century France.

Simon Trpčeski gives us precision and delicacy in a magical Ravel Piano Concerto in G major; fine singing from Karen Cargill can't prevent Ticciati's Mahler 4 from falling flat.

The choir tackle an ambitious, if overly long programme of Advent-themed works with mixed results.

Les Vents Français are musical alchemists, turning some rather humdrum wind repertoire into something approaching musical gold. 

The LPO give thrilling performances of colourful French classics, with the mood slightly dampened by an absurd performance of Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos.

In yesterday’s matinee concert at the Konzerthaus, the Wiener KammerOrchester, Stefan Vladar and Thomas Quasthoff presented music by Mozart, Prokofiev and Poulenc in a family-friendly format. 

Robert Carsen’s production is an exercise in extreme minimalism. Dialogues des Carmélites is a great opera, and this production touches greatness without quite grasping it in both hands. 

An ultimately disappointing Fauré Requiem gave way to an outrageously funny performance of Poulenc's comic opera Les mamelles de Tirésias with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Ludovic Morlot.

A lack of engagement keeps Pretty Yende and James Vaughan at arm’s length in spite of accomplished performances

Innovative programming from Manfred Honeck mingles readings, music, and chant in memory of Mozart.