French composer Darius Milhaud was born today 125 years ago. Milhaud stood out for his bold, individual style and was active for much of the 20th century, a modernist and a member of Les Six who was much influenced by jazz, polytonality as well as the sounds of Brazil.
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Many classical music listeners will be familiar with the name Darius Milhaud, but how familiar are they with his output? The owner of a bold, individual style, Milhaud was active for much of the 20th century, a modernist who is counted among the group of composers known as ‘Les Six’ (a term coined by the music critic Henri Collet in 1920) and who was much influenced by jazz, polytonality as well as the sounds of Brazil. Brilliant Classics will release two new double CDs on 25 August: view the full track lists and introductory texts of Arvo Pärt: Für Anna Maria, Complete Piano Music and Milhaud: Orchestral Music on the website of Brilliant Classics. |
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Jacques-Émile Blanche’s rendition of the Groupe des Six – Germaine Tailleferre, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, and Louis Durey (top to bottom left); Georges Auric and Francis Poulenc (top to bottom right) – together with Marcelle Meyer in the middle and Jean Cocteau on the bottom right of the painting.
Find out more about Darius Milhaud.