Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963) and Erik Satie (1866 - 1925) in one program. It is reminiscent of the famous 'Groupe des Six'. From the revolutionary year of 1917 onwards, Poulenc was part of this six-member composer's company around avant-garde guru Jean Cocteau. Poulenc was introduced to Satie by his piano teacher Viñes and was greatly inspired by him. Poulenc's suites 'Nocturnes' and 'Les soirées de Nazelles' date from the 1930s, when Satie died and the Groupe was dissolved. In those days he evolved from naughty boy to half-monk, but his infectiously impertinent tone cannot be seen separately from his golden Parisian years. We hear 'Trois Gymnopédies' from Satie himself. A very famous, but equally misunderstood piece. Harmonically more daring, but written in the same spirit around 1890, are the 'Trois gnossiennes'.
