Details

Field of Interest

Classical Music

Composer

Darius Milhaud, 1892-1974

Conductor

Darius Milhaud, 1892-1974

Content Type

Music recording

Duration

1 hour 14 mins

Ensemble

Orchestre Symphonique de Radio-Télé-Luxembourg

Format

Audio

Label

Vox

Performer

Carl Seemann, Ulrich Koch, Grant Johannesen

Date Recorded

1972

Release Date

1994

Review

Among the most adaptive and flexible -- some might say eclectic and facile -- of composers, Darius Milhaud was well-equipped to provide stage and ballet music that could set any scene and change moods at a moment's notice. His vivid scores, however, are most often heard today in concert, and without scenarios in hand, some imagination is required to understand how effective these works may have been for the stage. Taken at face value, Le carnaval d'Aix seems like an episodic piano concerto, L'apothéose de Molière a mediocre neo-Baroque pastiche, and Le carnaval de Londres a modern music hall rehash of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. One may simply enjoy these pieces for their charming melodies and orchestral colors, and regard them as quaint souvenirs of the theater, if not especially daring or exciting works. Only the scandalous Le boeuf sur le toit sounds truly characteristic of its composer, with its jaunty, Brazilian-styled tunes, pungent polytonality, and peculiar blending of lyricism and irreverence. Along with La création du monde, this ballet cemented Milhaud's reputation as an iconoclast and remains one of his most significant and entertaining works. The New London Orchestra, conducted by Ronald Corp, performs Milhaud's music with abundant energy and color, and Hyperion offers good sound. ~ Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

Subject

Classical Music, Music & Performing Arts, 20th Century, Siglo XX, Século XX, 20th century

Series / Program

Esprit de France

Keywords and Translated Subjects

Siglo XX, Século XX