The Cinéma-Fantaisie d'après Le Bœuf sur le toit was originally intended by Milhaud as a score for a Charlie Chaplin film, but Jean Cocteau persuaded him to use it for a ballet instead.
Compositional Technique
Milhaud's Sonatine for clarinet and piano, Op. 100, is notable for its harsh idiom, employing polytonality with abundant dissonant intervals like minor ninths and augmented fourths.
Compositional Technique
Le Bœuf sur le toit is structured as a rondo with fourteen episodes and a coda, where the refrain theme, Milhaud's only original creation in the work, is heard fifteen times in all twelve major keys.
Composer Biography
Darius Milhaud, a French composer, emphasized his diverse heritage by stating, 'I am a Frenchman from Provence and of the Israelite religion.'
Composer's Artistic Vision
Milhaud's music was influenced by Latin American, Caribbean, North American, and European popular music, as well as jazz, following his travels and cultural contacts.
Performer Biography
Eliane Reyes, the pianist on this album, gave her first recital at age five and has collaborated with renowned musicians like Misha Maisky and Martha Argerich.
Composition History
Many of Milhaud's works from the 1930s, such as Suite provençale and Scaramouche, originated as incidental music for stage and screen before being adapted for the concert hall.
