Kobe City Philharmonic Chorus Autumn Concert Poulenc – Figure humaine“postwar 80th anniversary peaceful prayer concert”

(c)H.Ozawa

Poulenc’s masterful cantata finally comes to Kobe

“The Face of Humanity,” a secular cantata composed under Nazi occupation in France during World War II, stands as a cornerstone of 20th-century a cappella choral works. In his fifth season as music director, Poulenc specialist Masahiro Satō presents a program that also includes works by Schoenberg, who was forced into exile from Europe; Ligeti, who lost his family in a Nazi concentration camp; and Poulenc. Together, their music illuminates unique prayers of resilience, remembrance, and hope as we reflect on 80 years since the war.