Darius Milhaud
One of the more prolific composers of the twentieth century, Darius Milhaud was born to a Jewish family in southern France during the last decade of the nineteenth century. He learned the violin as a youth. Studies at the Paris Conservatoire from age 17 on gave the young composer opportunity to work with some of the most prominent French composers and theorists of the day, including Charles Marie Widor, Vincent d'Indy and André Gedalge, and allowed him to focus on developing his skills as a pianist.
While serving as an attaché at the French delegation in Rio de Janeiro during the First World War, Milhaud began a long and fruitful association with poet Paul Claudel (who was at that time a Minister at the delegation), several of whose plays Milhaud would go on to provide with incidental music (Proteé, 1919; L'annonce fait à Marie, 1934) and who, in turn, would supply libretti for many of Milhaud's compositions (e.g. the opera Christophe Colomb of 1928).
After returning to Paris in 1919 Milhaud was adopted into the circle of "Les Six," a group of progressive French composers brought together under the guidance of Jean Cocteau. However, like any such artificial collection, Les Six was quick to dissolve, and during the 1920s Milhaud adopted an assortment of new musical influences (notably jazz, which the composer first discovered during a trip to the U.S. in 1922, and which features prominently in much of his subsequent music).
Milhaud composed, performed, and taught ceaselessly during the 1920s and 1930s, only abandoning his homeland in late 1939 after all hope of resisting the German advance vanished. Settling in the United States, Milhaud accepted a teaching position with Mills College in Oakland, California, and continued to compose prolifically. From 1947 he combined his American teaching duties with a similar position at the Paris Conservatoire, remaining at both institutions until 1971, when his poor health forced him into retirement (Milhaud had suffered from a serious, paralyzing rheumatic condition since the 1920s; in later years he was only mobile through the use of a wheelchair). He died in Switzerland three years later.
Milhaud's musical output is impressive, both in terms of quantity and quality. The numbers alone are staggering for a twentieth century composer: nine operas, 12 ballets, 12 symphonies (in addition to six chamber symphonies), six piano concertos (one of them a double concerto), 18 string quartets, and about 400 other compositions in almost every conceivable form and instrumentation. The most frequently discussed feature of his musical language is polytonality (the simultaneous use of multiple tonal centers), though Milhaud was familiar with and fluent in any number of twentieth century "techniques." A skillful contrapuntist, Milhaud composed two string quartets (Nos. 14 and 15, both from 1949) which may also be performed simultaneously as an octet.
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Milhaud: Le bœuf sur le toit & La création du monde (Mono Version)
Orchestre du Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Darius Milhaud
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1959
The Qobuz Essential Discography24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Marguerite Long, Vol. 2
Marguerite Long, Pedro De Freitas Branco, Darius Milhaud, Georges Tzipine, Philippe Gaubert, Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
Classical - Released by APR on 4 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chabrier, Stravinsky, Milhaud & De Falla: Piano Works
Marcelle Meyer, Darius Milhaud, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI di Roma, Mario Rossi
Classical - Released by Urania Records on 16 Mar 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: La Création Du Monde & Stravinsky: L'Histoire Du Soldat
The London Symphony Orchestra Chamber Group
Classical - Released by Everest Records on 2 Aug 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: 5 Suites for Piano, Op. 8, Ibert: Escales (Ports of Call), Turina: Danses Gitanes, Op. 55 & Op. 84
Classical - Released by VDE-GALLO on 8 Jul 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Honegger: Symphony No. 3 & Milhaud: Suite Provencale, Symphony No. 8 (Studio)
Classical - Released by Phoenix USA on 1 Sep 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: Choral Works
Classical - Released by Globe on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Darius Milhaud 1892-1974
Classical - Released by Saphir Productions on 21 Feb 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: Suite provençale & Saudades do Brasil (Mono Version)
Concert Arts Orchestra, Darius Milhaud
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1, Op. 3 (Digitally Remastered)
Oliver Colbentson, Erich Appel
Classical - Released by EMG Classical on 15 Jul 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ma vie heureuse: Discours de Darius Milhaud (Mono Version)
Classical - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: Symphonies pour petit orchestre & La cheminée du roi René (Mono Version)
Orchestre de chambre Musical Masterpiece, Darius Milhaud, Blaaskwintet van het Radio Filharmonisch Orkest
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: Les malheurs d'Orphée (Mono Version)
Jacqueline Brumaire, Bernard Demigny, Orchestre du Theatre National De L'Opera De Paris, Darius Milhaud
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Hommage á Jean Cocteau-Les mariés de la tour Eiffel-Mélodies
Classical - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 8 Mar 2004
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Darius Milhaud: Symphony No. 3, Op. 271; The Bells, Op. 259 & Saudades do Brasil, Op. 67
Russian State Symphony Cappella, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Classical - Released by Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica on 10 Oct 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Darius Milhaud vous parle et présente son œuvre, avec illustrations musicales (Mono Version)
Darius Milhaud, Írma Kolássi, Paul Badura-Skoda
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: Introduction et marche funèbre, La mort d'un tyran & Le château de feu (Mono Version)
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Darius Milhaud, Charles Bruck
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: Suite provençale, Op. 152 (Digitally Remastered)
Classical - Released by EMG Classical on 15 Jul 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud: Suite provençale, Op. 152c & Saudades do Brasil, Op. 67b (Mono Version)
Concert Arts Symphony Orchestra, Darius Milhaud
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Enregistrements historiques avec Louis Kaufman, violon
Louis Kaufman, Orchestre Philarmonique de L'ORTF, Artur Balsam, Helene Pignari, Darius Milhaud, Jean-Michel Leconte
Classical - Released by Music and Arts Programs of America on 1 Aug 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milhaud-Le pauvre matelot-Les malheurs d'Orphée
Classical - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo