We all feel love —platonic, romantic, spiritual etc. The question though is, how deep is that love? How does one move on from one person to another? How does one keep it fresh? This is pretty much the topic for today.
Today’s piece is on Francis Poulenc’s sole art song for two voices: Colloque. The thing about this one though, is that it is not meant to be sung together like a duet. Instead, it takes turns, as if in a conversation. It is also his sole adaptation of a poem by Paul Valéry. This was not exactly in the composer’s vein of style but somehow, he made it work —for context, Poulenc was more into the surrealism of his contemporaries like Guillaume Apollinaire and Paul Éluard; Valéry was more into the camp of Stéphane Mallarmé for his own poetry —symbolism, if you may.
Here is Paul Valery’s “conversational poem”:
Baritone: D'une rose mourante L'ennui penche vers nous; Tu n'es pas différente Dans ton silence doux De cette fleur mourante : Elle se meurt pour nous... Tu me semble pareille À celle dont l'oreille Était sur mes genoux, À celle dont l'oreille Ne m'écoutait jamais! Tu me semble pareille À l'autre que j'aimais : mais de celle ancienne Sa bouche était la mienne. Soprano: Que me compares-tu quelque rose fanée? L'amour n'a de vertu que fraîche et spontanée. Mon regard dans le tien Ne trouve que son bien Je m'y vois toute nue! Mes yeux effaceront Tes larmes qui seront D'un souvenir venues. Si ton désir naquit qu'il meure sur ma couche Et sur mes lèvres qui t'emporteront la bouche.
The work shows a couple talking about love. For the man, it is a reflection of the love he had for two previous women: one that never listened to him, and another that he truly loved but was not exactly meant to be. For the woman on the other hand, feeling insulted that his talking of love being like a dying rose, shows that she will not be like his previous two lovers and that her love for him will be new and fresh.
In spite of the character of the poem, Poulenc had some sense of restraint in composing this —after all, this was not exactly his style. It is not exactly sentimental, but the language that is uniquely his shines through. The piano blends well in the conversation of the two singers. It is charming and tender in musical language for all three musicians. When Poulenc composes something serious —but not as serious as his masses or two of his operas— the language he possesses gets tender and rich; it is a wonderful contrast to the buffoonery and humor that can be found in his music in general.
Here is Poulenc’s Colloque sung by Marc Boucher and Julie Fuchs with Olivier Godin on the piano: