John Ranck plays Poulenc Les soirées de Nazelles

John Ranck, piano
LP, IPA 2002, 1977 (originally recorded and issued on Zodiac LP 1002 in 1955)

Preamble
Cadenza
Variations:
Le comble de la distinction
Le cœur sur la main
La désinvolture et la discrétion
La suite dans les idées
Le charme enjôleur
Le contentement de soi
Le goût du malheur
L’alerte vieillesse
Cadenza
Finale

From the program notes on the LP container by Donald Garvelmann:

"...Poulenc disowned several of his works, but it is astonishing that late in life he claimed that he detested 'Soirées'. He expressed this in print in 'Entretiens avec Claude Rostand' (Paris, 1954), explaining that he "tolerates" his 'Trois mouvements perpétuels' (his most famous solo piano work, written in 1918) and a few others but that he "condemns without recourse" the suites 'Napoli' and 'Soirées'. Poulenc, though, was well known for his strong opinions about all music, not only his own. Later, in the mid-1950s when he heard the present recording, he sent the picture postcard from Eure to John Ranck to tell the pianist of his late change of opinion. The composer's handwritten message to John Ranck on the reverse side of that card (translated here) evidences Poulenc's newly formed judgment:

Sir, I owe you a rather nice surprise. You rendered the Soirées de Nazelles listenable -- and God knows I am harsh with them -- since you play them marvelously. It isn't my habit, believe me, to make compliments I don't mean -- Yvonne Martin [mutual friend of Poulenc and Ranck] can tell you I would have dreaded to listen to this disk -- you have earned Bravo and Thanks. A large part of the Soirées was composed behind the windows marked by a cross [on the photograph of the chateau on the reverse of the postcard] chez my sister. I hope to meet you soon. Very cordially, Poulenc

When John Ranck later met Poulenc in France, the composer was even more voluble with his praise and told him he particularly admired Ranck's execution of the recitative passages in the cadenzas..."