The ladder inside you

To notice the beauty, yes. To recognize beauty, yes. To be immersed in beauty, of course. But can we get to the next rung? To realise the beauty of ourselves, to wonder at the beauty of man, is that what we have the power to do? Do we have the time? Because that would be the point, the ultimate realization. That is what this series is about.

Stravinsky is not only the author of a wild, modern romp - although his best-known work, The Sacrifice of Spring, evokes this image in many - but his fascination with classical forms, with unadorned, pure beauty, is just as dominant in much of his life. He also composed a number of ballet scores during the period known as the neoclassical, including Apollon musagète (Apollo, the leader of the muses), which centres on Apollo. It is wonderfully proportioned and fresh music, which really does remind one of the proportions and unearthly smiles of classical Greek sculpture - pure beauty itself, with a Stravinsky twist, of course.
Poulenc is a less-played composer, although his style, combining many influences, eventually became very distinctive. The Sinfonietta was written in the years after the Second World War, which at first sight seems surprising given the music's charm, youth and all-conquering beauty, unless it was music and art itself that offered an escape from the depressing realities of the time. That is still its function today: an escape into beauty, and that is what this concert and the whole series offers, which can be recommended to beginners and advanced musicians alike who thirst for this refuge.