Le carnaval d'Aix (11), fantasy for piano & orchestra, Op. 83b
L'apothéose de Molière (5), suite for chamber orchestra, Op. 286
Le Carnaval de Londres, suite for orchestra, Op. 172
Le boeuf sur le toit, ballet for orchestra, Op. 58
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 ...
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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 musichall 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 characteristic of its composer, with its jaunty, Brazilian-styled tunes; pungent polytonality; and peculiar blending of lyricism and irreverence....
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