Arabella Steinbacher is yet another obviously talented young violinist, but this enterprising release really throws down the gauntlet to the competition, showing how to be both brilliant and musically interesting. These three Milhaud concertos are all but unknown, but they give Steinbacher plenty of opportunity to display her glittering technique as well as emotional maturity. This may sound surprising given the composer, a member of Les Six and one often noted for his cool polytonal style, eclecticism, and emotional detachment. These are certainly facets on Milhaud's omnivorous musical personality, and like all very prolific composers he invariably is described as "uneven", especially by experts who have taken no opportunity (and have no desire) to bother listening to the majority of what he wrote. In fact, the three concertos here couldn't be more contrasted. (...) (arkivmusic.com)
Over CD2: "Kent Nagano and the Lyon Opera Orchestra know exactly what they are doing with Le boeuf sur le toit, and Milhaud's ballet, written for Cocteau in 1919 and set in an American bar during the Prohibition, comes up wonderfully fresh. (...) La creation du monde (1923) was among the first twentieth-century works by a western composer to take its inspiration from African folklore, and it still comes up strongly with its powerful use of jazz. However, this is not the sophisticated white kind but the raw black New Orleans idiom that Milhaud had recently heard on a visit to the USA. (...) The Harp Concerto, written in the USA in 1953 for Nicanor Zabaleta, is one of no less than 25 concertos that this prolific composer produced between 1927 and 1964". (gramophone.co.uk)
"Across these fourteen pieces Milhaud is never prolix. These are works where the time-span coincides with the natural reach of the melodies, mo-tifs and ideas. The Turnabout-Candide recording team for these sessions with the composer, de Froment and Kontarsky did not shy from a really close-up microphone array. Stereo techniques were at least a decade old at the time when the composer sessions were set down and the crew make ear-tickling use of channel separation without making it an intrusive fet-ish. (...) The notes are superb and were written by the composer, by Rich-ard Freed and by R.D. Darrell. They tell you all the essentials with good factual input and non-technical descriptions. (...) The booklet is printed at a decent point size." (Musicweb)
Mezzosopraan Florence Katz en pianist Serge Cyferstein hebben een cd opgenomen met mooi en bijzonder repertoire van Darius Milhaud (1892-1974). Gedichten in proza uit de jaren 1913-1915 zette hij op muziek. Zijn "Trois poèmes de Lucile de Chateau-briand op.10" en "D'un cahier inédit d'Eugénie de Guérrin op.27" hebben als thema een geïdealiseerd beeld van de harten van jonge meisjes die verscheurd worden door twijfel. Een strijd tussen de stem van het hart en het streven naar reinheid. De "Deux poèmes de Coventry Patmore op.30" hebben de dood als onderwerp. Milhaud's bewondering voor de werken van André Gide komt tot uitdrukking in Alissa. Het is een liedcyclus gebaseerd op "La porte étroite" van Gide met Alissa als hoofdpersoon.
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