Figure Humaine

Directed by former King’s Singers member Nigel Short, Tenebrae is renowned for its sheer expressiveness and the purity of its vocal blend. Francis Poulenc’s Figure Humaine is a remarkable work, a paean to liberty composed during the Second World War setting texts by the French surrealist poet Paul Éluard. Poulenc’s distinctive harmonies and extraordinary part-writing are brilliantly showcased throughout, but particularly in the penultimate, demanding “Un feu sans tache”. Other choral gems by Poulenc on this recording include the intense and concentrated Mass in G and the exquisite Quatre petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, both sung with pinpoint accuracy and a sense of joie de vivre.