Radio Poupoule

An intimate musical portrait of Francis ‘Poupoule’ Poulenc, in which the Vlaams Radiokoor and I SOLISTI explore his extensive oeuvre: from his devout choral works to his mischievous instrumental pieces.

In 1943, an aircraft dropped thousands of copies of Paul Éluard's poem Liberté over occupied France. In secret, Francis Poulenc composed his cantata Figure Humaine, a powerful ode to liberation. In 1946, the choir of the public broadcaster NIR – the predecessor of the Vlaams Radiokoor – premiered this cantata during a special broadcast on ‘Sender Brüssel,’ which had just been liberated from Nazi control.

Exactly 80 years later, the Vlaams Radiokoor performs the work once again in the very place it was created: the former broadcasting house, Flagey. The audience is invited to join the performers on the stage of the iconic Studio 4 for a unique and intimate musical portrait of Francis Poulenc – ‘Poupoule’ to his friends. Together with I SOLISTI, the Radiokoor introduces you to the man himself: his kaleidoscopic oeuvre, his colorful personality, and his many unexpected musical ties to Belgium. All of this topped off with his wonderfully surrealist Le Bal Masqué.