Suite provençale remains one of Milhaud’s most popular and oft-recorded pieces. Based partly on themes by the minor Baroque master André Campra, and partly on folk tunes, this is a loving tribute to the part of the world Milhaud knew best. The Charles Munch recording (RCA Gold Seal 60685-2) is not at all bad, with […]
Continue ReadingOrchestral Works
Orchestral Works – Symphonies
Milhaud delayed writing symphonies for full orchestra until 1940, but composed a total of twelve between then and 1961, and several are now on disc. The charm and serenity of Symphony no. 1‘s first movement, and the elegiac mood of the third, contrast starkly with the rough fast movements and the boisterous “Très vif” contains […]
Continue ReadingOrchestral Works – Concertos
Milhaud’s stature as a master orchestrator is apparent in current concerto recordings. Of these, the greatest gem is the Concerto no. 1 for cello (1934) in a superb performance by Mstislav Rostropovich and the London Symphony Orchestra under Kent Nagano (Erato 2292 45489-2). The first movement, “Nonchalant,” opens with a brief prelude much like a […]
Continue ReadingOrchestral Works – Arrangements
We have no recordings of the Chansons de l’opéra du gueux, Milhaud’s 1937 settings for solo voice and instruments of songs from Pepusch and Gay’s Beggar’s Opera, but two new discs bear excellent performances of his version for small orchestra, Carnaval de Londres. Unlike Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera and its resultant orchestral suite, Milhaud’s 26 […]
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