Francis Poulenc

Quatre Motets pour un temps de pénitence

The "Quatre Motets pour un temps de pénitence" by Francis Poulenc are among the most impressive works of sacred choral music of the 20th century. In this cycle, composed between 1938 and 1939, Poulenc sets four Latin texts for Lent and Holy Week: "Timor et tremor", "Vinea mea electa", "Tenebrae factae sunt" and "Tristis est anima mea". The a cappella work captivates with its deeply felt religiosity and highly emotional tonal language, which combines harsh, dramatic outbursts with moments of fragile intimacy. Poulenc's characteristic harmony lends the motets a timeless intensity that makes the suffering and loneliness of Christ musically tangible in a moving way and places the highest demands on the expressive power of the choir.