(Music Sales America). This Sonata For Flute and Piano is a virtuosic flute solo by renowned influential French composer Francis Poulenc. Written in 1956-57, this is an elegant, dreamy chamber work and he has demonstrated his obvious compositional skill, also highlighting the French affinity with the sweet sounds of the flute. Carefully edited by Carl Schmidt in 1994, this is an authoritative edition that contains a detailed history and comprehensive commentary of the editorial process in English, French and German.

A unique record of Poulenc (1899-1963) who is considered the greatest composer of melodies of his period, a period that opened with the aftermath of the First World War and closed as recently as 1960. He set to music poetry by all the greatest French twentieth century poets as well as others from earlier times. He wrote this diary of songs as an answer to what he felt were the frequent misinterpretations of his work. It describes the origins of each song, comments on performances he heard and offers guidelines for interpretation. The diary is filled out with explanatory notes, a collection of unfamiliar photographs and the English translation to the text written opposite the French original. It will appeal to singers who include French song in his or her repertoire and also to those who have an interest in music of this period. The translator, Winifred Radford is also the singer who gave the first performance in England of Poulenc's song cycle Fiancailles pour rire in 1945. She was coached by Poulenc and Pierre Bernac with whom she later translated The Interpretation of French Song and Francis Poulenc - The Man and his Songs.

(Music Sales America). A Manuel de Falla.

English soprano Felicity Lott performs this premier recording of Poulenc's one-act opera for one character, based on Jean Cocteau's 1930 play. The story revolves around one woman speaking on the telephone with her (invisible and inaudible) departing lover, who is leaving her to marry another woman.

Live performance of Francis Poulenc's opera, recorded in Munich. Kent Nagano conducts the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus, with Alain Vernhes, Susan Gritton, Bernard Richter and Sylvie Brunet starring in the main roles.