The music on this disc was written between1928 and 1935, during a period whenPoulenc was associated with the group LesSix – composers who were reacting musicallyagainst the excesses of high-Romanticism,often by appropriating elements of musicfrom earlier centuries. The Concerto for TwoPianos and Orchestra is an exhilarating work,probably inspired by the neo-classicism ofStravinsky. The opening theme periodicallyechoes Mozart or Beethoven, but this isBeethoven derailed, demented and racing inall directions at once. Suite Française revivesFrench music of the sixteenth century, while Concert Champêtre, which features a soloclavecin, borrows from eighteenth-centurykeyboard music. In each case, the overalleffect is as much earnest and original as it isquirky pastiche. This is music that doesn’tget a lot of attention today, but it is exciting,sometimes witty and often very beautiful,delivered with dexterity and care by Immerseeland Anima Eterna.