Poulenc: Piano Concerto & Concert champêtre Mark Bebbington, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Jan Latham-Koenig

• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Concerto for Piano & Orchestra, FP 146:
• 1 Concerto for Piano & Orchestra, FP 146: I. Allegretto 10:18
• 2 Concerto for Piano & Orchestra, FP 146: II. Andante con moto 05:11
• 3 Concerto for Piano & Orchestra, FP 146: III. Rondeau à la Française 04:06
• Trio for Piano, Oboe & Bassoon, FP 43:
• 4 Trio for Piano, Oboe & Bassoon, FP 43: I. Presto 05:47
• 5 Trio for Piano, Oboe & Bassoon, FP 43: II. Andante 04:02
• 6 Trio for Piano, Oboe & Bassoon, FP 43: III. Rondo 03:39
• Concert champêtre, FP 49:
• 7 Concert champêtre, FP 49: I. Allegro molto 10:24
• 8 Concert champêtre, FP 49: II. Andante 06:32
• 9 Concert champêtre, FP 49: III. Finale 08:21
• Sonata for Oboe & Piano, FP 185:
• 10 Sonata for Oboe & Piano, FP 185: I. Élégie 05:39
• 11 Sonata for Oboe & Piano, FP 185: II. Scherzo 03:50
• 12 Sonata for Oboe & Piano, FP 185: III. Déploration 04:33
• Total Runtime 01:12:22

Info for Poulenc: Piano Concerto & Concert champêtre

The acclaimed pianist Mark Bebbington marks his Resonus Classics debut, and the start of a new French music series, with a major new recording of works by Francis Poulenc.

Joined by conductor Jan Latham-Koenig, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, this varied programme of works for piano features the Piano Concerto (the last of his five concertos) and the rarely-recorded piano version of the Concert champêtre so often performed by Poulenc himself.

Bebbington is also joined by oboist John Roberts and bassoonist Jonathan Davies for the Trio for Piano, Oboe & Bassoon, and the Sonata for Oboe & Piano.

Mark Bebbington, piano
John Roberts, oboe
Jonathan Davies, bassoon
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Jan Latham-Koenig, conductor

Mark Bebbington
The critical plaudits which have greeted Mark Bebbington’s performances and recordings have singled him out as a British pianist of the rarest refinement and maturity ("Bebbington is without doubt one of Britain's finest pianists" wrote Michel Fleury recently in Classica). Internationally recognised in particular as a champion of British music, Mark has recorded extensively for SOMM “New Horizons” label to unanimous critical acclaim. He has the enviable record of having been awarded no fewer than seven five-star reviews in BBC Music Magazine in a row.

His most recent CDs include three British Piano Concertos with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, an all-Gershwin album with Leon Botstein and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ("Recording of the Month" from MusicWeb International) and the completion of his Bliss complete piano music traversal.

His premiere recordings include one of Arnold Bax’s Piano Concertino coupled with John Ireland’s Piano Concerto and Legend, and premieres of Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia and William Mathias’s first two Piano Concertos (Ulster Orchestra).

In addition to concerto recordings, Mark completed his John Ireland and Frank Bridge solo piano series and released a CD of William Alwyn’s piano works in 2015. As well as his BBC Music Magazine success, he has won Gramophone Magazine's "Editor’s Choice", International Record Review's "Outstanding" accolade and many others. International Piano Magazine wrote of him, “Bebbington’s revivals of British piano music are second to none; he could well be dubbed the concert pianists’ Richard Hickox. Bebbington has almost single-handedly demonstrated that 20th-century British piano scores have an exciting role to play in the concert hall and recording studio”.

Over recent seasons Mark has toured throughout Central and Northern Europe and in the United States (both as recitalist and as soloist with some of the world’s leading orchestras), as well as the Far East and North Africa. He recently played Richard Strauss's little-known left-handed piano concerto at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra, and gave a masterclass and recital on British music at Bard College. Within the UK, he has appeared in concertos with the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras, Flanders Symphony Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, Orchestra of the Swan and BBC Concert Orchestra. He has featured both as soloist and recitalist on BBC Television and Radio and also on major European Television and Radio networks.

Mark studied at the Royal College of Music where he was a recipient of numerous international awards and prizes, including a Leverhulme Scholarship, a Winston Churchill Fellowship and the Ivan Sutton Recording Prize – the latter awarded to the one outstanding graduate of the combined London Music Colleges. He later studied in Italy with the legendary Aldo Ciccolini.

Mark’s programming demonstrates a commitment to the music of our time and he regularly includes contemporary composers as diverse as Takemitsu, Julian Anderson, John McCabe, David Matthews, Pierre Boulez and Elliot Carter in his recital series.

Forthcoming projects include continuing releases for the Somm label, appearances in major concert series and festivals both in the UK and throughout Europe and, closer to home, concerto performances with the London Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. He recently completed a two-week tour with the Czech National Orchestra and Libor Pesek and returned to the USA for concerts with the Buffalo Philharmonic. In July 2017 Mark made his Israel debut tour with the Israel Camerata.

Booklet for Poulenc: Piano Concerto & Concert champêtre