Paul Berkowitz Releases "Piano Works of Francis Poulenc by Meridian Records"

The UC Santa Barbara Department of Music is pleased to announce the release of Piano Works of Francis Poulenc, a new recording by Professor of Piano Paul Berkowitz, released by the UK label Meridian Records on July 28, 2025.

The album features a carefully curated collection of solo piano works by the mid-20th-century French composer Francis Poulenc, composed between 1927 and 1959. Performed by Paul Berkowitz, the recording includes all 15 Improvisations, 3 Novelettes, 3 Intermezzi, Presto in B-flat, Thème varié, and Mélancolie. Poulenc is by turns – and often simultaneously – witty, insouciant, lyrical and nostalgic. These solo piano works are barely known outside France, and present Poulenc’s full range of emotions.

Critical response to the release has been enthusiastic. International Piano Magazine praised Berkowitz’s “innately musical” playing, noting the warmth and sophistication of his interpretation and calling the album “a worthwhile listen.” BBC Music Magazine welcomed the recording as an important contribution to the Poulenc discography, highlighting Berkowitz as “an especially fine advocate” for these underappreciated works and praising the poignancy, vitality, and character he brings to each piece.

Paul Berkowitz, a native of Montreal, Canada, is Professor of Piano at the University of California, Santa Barbara and former Chair of the Department of Music (2007–2012). A former student of Rudolf Serkin, he has performed worldwide and recorded extensively for Meridian Records, including his acclaimed nine-CD cycle of Schubert piano works, three CDs of Brahms piano music, and new releases of Poulenc and Schumann. Berkowitz’s recordings have earned praise from the London Sunday Times, BBC Music Magazine, and BBC Radio Record Review, and he continues to inspire the next generation of pianists through teaching and masterclasses internationally.

Piano Works of Francis Poulenc is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and major streaming platforms, and may also be purchased through Meridian Records.

Paul Berkowitz will next appear in recital at Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 7:30 pm, presenting a new program of piano works by Robert Schumann.

The next Meridian CD recording will be Schumann Piano Works Vol. 2, consisting of Robert Schumann’s Humoreske, Op. 20, Arabeske, Op. 18 and Fantasie, Op. 17. This was recorded in Kent, England last August 2025 at the time of the Poulenc CD release. Schumann Vol. 2 is expected to be released later in 2026. (Schumann Vol.1 was released back in 1988, and consisted of Kreisleriana, Op.16 and Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6.) A further Schumann Vol. 3 recording is in preparation.

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