The Gloria by Francis Poulenc, FP 177, scored for soprano solo, large orchestra, and chorus, is a setting of the Gloria text from the mass ordinary. One of Poulenc’s most celebrated works, it was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation in honor of Sergei Koussevitzky and his wife Natalia, the namesakes of the foundation.

Gloria was premiered on 21 January 1961 in Boston, Massachusetts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Chorus Pro Musica under conductor Charles Münch with Adele Addison as soloist. The first recording (also in 1961), for EMI, was conducted by Georges Prêtre, under the supervision of the composer, with Rosanna Carteri as the soloist. Among later recordings of the music, the RCA Victor recording by the Robert Shaw Chorale in 1965 won a Grammy Award for the “Best Choral Performance.”

Francis Poulenc

Gloria
1. I Gloria 2:57
2. II Laudamus te 3:07
3. III Domine Deus 4:35
4. IV Domine Fili Unigenite 1:20
5. V Domine Deus, Agnus Dei 6:27
6. VI Qui sades ad dexteram Patris 6:37

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