Poulenc: Music for Two Pianos
Antony Gray, Rob Hao and Alise Silina
| Poulenc | L'embarquement pour Cythére |
|---|---|
| Tailleferre | Jeux de plein air |
| Poulenc | Concert Champetre |
| Trimble | Buttermilk Point, Pastoral - homage to F Poulenc, The Humours of Carrick |
| Poulenc | Sonata for two pianos |
| Le Voyage en Amérique (first concert performance) |
Music for two pianos by Francis Poulenc, including the first concert performance of his 1951 film score, ‘Le Voyage en Amérique’.
Francis Poulenc was introduced to the piano duo Gold and Fizdale in the late 1940s by Germaine Tailleferre, and they became lifelong friends, with Poulenc producing a total of four works for them, including the Sonata for Two Pianos, arguably one of his finest works.
Just prior to this sequence of works, Poulenc wrote the score to the Henri Lavorel film ‘Le Voyage en Amérique’, scored for two pianos. Poulenc himself played one of the piano parts in the film, with his friend Jacques Février playing the other. The score did not survive, and has been transcribed from the soundtrack by Antony Gray. It is here receiving its first concert performance.
Also in the programme is Poulenc’s own two-piano version of his 1928 Concert Champetre, a version that has been completely ignored. In addition, music by Tailleferre, who is indirectly responsible for Poulenc’s music for two pianos, and Joan Trimble, who, perhaps surprisingly, wrote a Nocturne in Homage to F. Poulenc.
This event will last for approximately 100 minutes, including an interval.
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets are available for certain shows to attendees aged under 30. To access Under 30s tickets, your account needs to be updated with your Date of Birth. Please visit the account centre to add your Date of Birth and go to ‘Other Preferences’ to opt in to the Under 30s Scheme.
If £10 tickets are available, the ticket discount will apply automatically at checkout. If the discount does not apply, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out for the performance.
Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.
About Antony Gray
Antony Gray is an Australian pianist. He has recorded Bach, Goossens, Williamson, Carmichael, Brahms and Poulenc for ABC Classics and lots of Saint-Saëns for Divine Art. He has recently recorded a couple of discs of music written for teacher and student, with his students. He won’t be doing that again (also Divine Art). He also teaches the violin, and hopes one day to be able to play it himself, makes delicious beetroot wine and has been trying for years, and without success, to grow artichokes. He has homes in London and Marrakech.
About Rob Hao
Rob Hao is an Australian pianist and composer. His compositions and performances have taken him around Australia, the UK and across continental Europe at festivals and venues such as Sydney Opera House, the Melbourne Recital Centre, Aldeburgh, Manchester Festival of Song and Vienna’s Schoenberg Centre. Rob’s LP Palimpsest was released in 2025, and in recent seasons he has given regional and world premieres of over thirty works. Rob studied piano and composition at the Royal College of Music and currently lives in London. He is currently an Associate Artist of the Australian Music Centre.