Once considered as little more than the froth in the wake of the First World War, a witty boy-hedonist who, in the giddy Twenties, tweaked the noses of moribund establishmentarians, Poulenc has in fact proved unexpectedly durable - more so than any of his colleagues among Les Six, including those who developed more grandiose ambitions.

Here is a survey of Poulenc's music, based on careful selection of his works, and written by an authoritative guide. Having placed Poulenc in the context of Fr...