The Symphony No. 1, Op. 210, by Darius Milhaud is a work for orchestra composed in France in 1939, during a period of illness and anxiety following the outbreak of World War II. Nearly fifty years old at the time and already a very prolific and mature composer, Milhaud had never attempted a symphony before. In spite of his expressed antipathy toward the "German music" typified by the symphony, he accepted a commission for this work from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, then approaching its 50th anniversary.[1] Milhaud went on to write twelve more numbered symphonies by 1963.
In spite of the trying circumstances in which it was written, Milhaud's First Symphony is a bright, optimistic work in its composer's unique neo-classical style. With a total running time of some 24 minutes, the piece's four movements are:
- Pastoral. Modérément animé (approx. 7')
- Très vif (approx. 4'30")
- Très modéré (approx. 6'30")
- Final. Animé (approx. 6'20")
This symphony, which is not to be confused with Milhaud's Little Symphony No.1 "Le printemps", Op.43 (1917), is published by Heugel & Cie.
Recordings
edit- a 1943 mono recording on the Guild label, featuring the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski
- a 1956 mono recording made by GDR Radio, featuring the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rolf Kleinert
- a 1991 digital recording by Michel Plasson and the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra, on Deutsche Grammophon
- a 1995 digital recording by Alun Francis and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Basel, part of a boxed set of Milhaud's Symphonies No. 1-12 on CPO
References
edit- ^ Schulz, Reinhard. Darius Milhaud Symphonies 1 & 4 (Media notes). Susan Marie Praeder (trans.). CPO, 1998. pp. 8–9.
