Presents
Darius Milhaud
Milhaud's only string trio dates from 1947 and was dedicated to the Mexican cellist and writer Carlos Prieto. It is in five short movements and combines elements of polytonalism with neo-classical and neo-baroque writing. The fleet-footed and lively opening movement,Vif, immediately holds one's attention. The second movement, Modere, is dominated by a progression of dark chords interspersed with brief lyrical interludes. The middle movement, Serenade, stands out by virtue of its interesting use of pizzicato as a guitar-like accompaniment to the bouncing, dance-like main theme. The fourth movement entitled Canons, is written as the title suggests, in canonical fashion. But its lovely lyricis masks the fact that it is a series of canons. The finale, Jeu fugue, makes a bright and upbeat conclusion to this appealing work. Certainly a good choice for a concert program of string trios and a work which can be handled by experienced amateurs as well.
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) was born in in the French city of Marseille. He studied composition at the Paris Conservatory with Charles-Marie Widor and became a member of the so called "Les Six", a group of modernist French composer who were active during the first part of the 20th century. During the course of his long career, he frequently traveled abroad, sometimes for pleasure, sometimes from necessity. During the First World War, Milhaud served as secretary to the French ambassador to Brazil. During the Second World War, he moved to America during the Nazi occupation of France. The sights and sounds of the cultures of he saw always interested him. In his music one often hears the sounds of Brazilian dances and American, but also the “modern” trends of French music during the 1910s and 1920s.
Parts: $19.95
