Sonata for two clarinets

Vif

Written in 1918 when Poulenc was still serving in the French Army at Vincennes, the Sonata for two clarinets is an early tribute to the composer who was to remain a hero figure for the rest of his life. Even though much of it derives from clearly identifiable passages in such Stravinsky works as Petrushka and The Rite of Spring, it is also startlingly original. It is remarkable not so much for the straightforward ternary construction of each movement as for the textural interest Poulenc was able to find in such a restricted medium - most daringly and most resourcefully of all perhaps in the narrow dynamic range and the simple ostinatos of the central Andante.