Home listening - Poulenc, Parry and a magnificent seven

The Guardian 0

Mark Bebbington excels in Poulenc’s Piano Concerto, Parry’s Judith springs to life. Plus, a new work for International Women’s Day

• In these grim times, with an epidemic lurking and floods rising, we could all do with something cheery to distract us. Thank goodness, then, for a new recording from pianist Mark Bebbington and conductor Jan Latham-Koenig of the charmingly effervescent Poulenc Piano Concerto (Resonus). As Poulenc’s biographer remarked: “It is a concerto of tunes rather than themes, which is one of its main merits.”

Instead of grand, virtuosic gestures, the piece skips from one playful idea to another, never taking itself too seriously. That’s not to say that it isn’t beautiful; the gentle opening theme is distinctly memorable and the slow movement quietly profound, but the general impression is one of light-hearted cheekiness. Bebbington captures the mood perfectly, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on sparkling form.