My teacher wants me to play the Poulenc Sonata now that my exam is over. I was just wondering what it is like and how difficult it is etc. I know the 2nd movements on the grade 7 syllabus and the 1st on the grade 8, but what partciaular bits should I look out for as beeing particularly nice/particularly hard.

Thanks,

PD

*retrieves copy of poulenc and reads and listens to it at the same time*

Well I've never actually played the 1st movement, looks like a barrel of laughs though... some fairly fast bits with what looks like fun fingering, then some slow bits as well...

2nd movement isn't hugely hard, up to a top G, the actual notes arent too hard, it's mainly about expressiveness and dynamics and such

I quite liked playing the third, tis quite lively, some interesting fingering and tuning issues, up to a top G#...

Probably not the most helpful of comments...

Overall, it's got some interesting harmonies and such, its quite exciting, not much classicalness... I would suggest getting hold of a recording of it...

Like all Poulenc Sonatas for woodwind instruments, hard but gorgeous!

Enjoy......

I'm not so keen on the first mvt myself, but the other two are lovely - the second mvt is SO expressive, and the third is really 'catchy' and great fun, although difficult to play up to speed unless you're nimble-fingered (which I'm most definitely not ).

its a real performance piece - the 1st movement is gd 8, the 2nd movement is grade7, & the 3rd is post grade 8. It sounds really great, but I personally prefer something a bit sweeter!

JOnathan

One of my favourites! I love it all. Definitely go for it. You'll learn a lot.

I agree it is a fantastic piece, and best learnt as a 3 movement work rather than as 3 individual movements. On it's own I don't think the 1st movement makes much sense, the 2nd is lyrical and the 3rd is a wild romp. My own take on the entire sonata is that it shows many wildly contrasting moods but there is something slightly dark running underneath the whole thing. I have suffered from depression for a number of years and there is something about the almost manic happiness and abandon of the start of the 3rd movement coupled with the total despair in parts of the 1st and 2nd movements that enables me to express so many of the feelings I regularly encounter.

Once the technical challenges (breath control and finger work!) have been worked through it is a really rewarding work to develop your own performance of.

I wouldn't recommend getting a recording - listen to loads but make up your own mind about what the piece is trying to say.

*sp!

Don't be awful. I learnt to like Mozart 622. So i think you should learn to love PoUlenc.

I know it will never happen

Yes, Mozart is irresistible!!!!!!

The Poulenc Sonata has never really been amongst my favourites, but it is fun to have a play through the 3rd movement from time to time. Having said that, I've just bought the Sonata for 2 clarinets, which looks interesting!!!!!!..........

Poulenc is far superior to Mozart.

The first mvt in the sanata for clarinet and piano is gorgeous. I love it. Not the 2nd mvt though.

Ugh.

Mozart will never be my favourite! Maybe barry-clari should edit his post in the 'say something nice' thread about me liking good repetoire!

Poulenc - love it, think it was the beginning of my fixation with wierd music, my teacher at school says it because I like to take riska and it displays my personality...

The Poulenc Sonata is a well-written piece, it's just not my favourite!

The 3rd movement is always worth having a play through though!

my favourite is the first movement though. the third really is worth playing through as well.

Polenc clarinet sonata is very nice, I like it. I don't love it coz i perfer something more classical and romatic like weber. BUT! It's a very expressive music and it's not extremely hard but sound amazing. I played it before and it's the first 20th Century music that i actully like playing on the clarient.

The first movement if really interesting. You have to play the first part very loud and fast then it gets really expressive ,like singing.Lots of different tempo and dynamic to make it interesting. They second movt is slow , not very hard. The third is shorter than the first two and have a catchy melody.

It'll be good to play the whole sonata for a concert or something because it has lots of contrast between the movt and show all the diifferent sides of clarinet.