Poulenc: Gloria

French music of the early to mid-20th century is an eclectic blend of many musical styles. One can hear elements of Romantic music as well as a sprinkling of jazz and maybe even a pinch of twelve-tone techniques à la Schoenberg. A group of French composers during this period started garnering recognition for their experimental work, and were given the nickname "Les Six." Their main claim to fame was writing music that was a reaction against the over-the-top romanticism of Wagner as well as branching away from the Impressionist mold created by Debussy and his contemporaries. One of the most notable members of Les Six was Francis Poulenc, who enjoyed a hugely successful international career in his lifetime. This piece, his ever-popular Gloria, was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1961, just two years before Poulenc died.