Darius Milhaud - Orchestral Works (Ronald Corp)

Information

Composer: Darius Milhaud

• Le carnaval d'aix, fantasy for piano & orchestra, Op. 83b
• L'apothéose de Molière, suite for chamber orchestra, Op. 286
• Le carnaval de Londres, suite for orchestra, Op. 172
• Le bœuf sur le toit, ballet for orchestra, Op. 58

Jack Gibbons, piano

New London Orchestra

Ronald Corp, conductor

Date: 1992

Label: Hyperion

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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

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Darius Milhaud (4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor and teacher. Born in Marseille, he studied under Paul Dukas and Vincent d'Indy at the Paris Conservatory, and was a member of Les Six. A prolific composer, Milhaud wrote more than 400 works, including radio and motion-picture scores, a setting of the Jewish Sabbath Morning Service, 13 symphonies, choral works, the two-piano suite Scaramouche, 18 string quartets and other chamber works. His students include Burt Bacharach, Dave Brubeck, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis, among others

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Ronald Corp (born 4 January 1951) is a composer, conductor and Anglican priest. He was born and grew up in Wells, Somerset, later studying music at Oxford University. Corp began conducting full-time in 1988 when he founded the New London Orchestra and New London Children’s Choir. With the Orchestra he has appeared in all the main London venues and at major festivals around the country. The Orchestra has a gained an excellent reputation for its innovative programming and for its acclaimed recordings on Hyperion. Corp is also a composer and n expert in choral training and choral repertory.

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