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Gustaf Allan Pettersson was a Swedish composer and violist. He is considered one of the 20th century's most important Swedish composers and was described as one of the last great symphonists, often compared to Gustav Mahler. His music can hardly be confused with other 20th-century works. In the final decade of his life, his symphonies developed an international following, particularly in Germany and Sweden. Of these, his best known work is Symphony No. 7. His music later found success in the United States. The conductors Antal Doráti and Sergiu Comissiona premiered and recorded several of his symphonies. Pettersson's song cycle Barefoot Songs influenced many of his compositions. Doráti arranged eight of the Barefoot Songs. Birgit Cullberg produced three ballets based on Pettersson's music.
La Création du monde, Op. 81a, is a 15-minute-long ballet composed by Darius Milhaud in 1922–23 to a libretto by Blaise Cendrars, which outlines the creation of the world based on African folk mythology. The premiere took place on 25 October 1923 at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
Hans Graf is an Austrian conductor.
Genova & Dimitrov is a Bulgarian piano duo, considered by the world music press and the audience one of the finest and most successful young ensembles. The duo consists of Aglika Genova and Liuben Dimitrov. They appear at two pianos and at one piano four-handed with recital programmes, as well as with orchestras.
Alun Francis is a Welsh conductor.
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. Milhaud went on to write twelve more numbered symphonies by 1963.
The Symphony No. 2, Op. 247, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. It was written in the U.S. in 1944 on a commission from the Koussevitzky Music Foundations in memory of Serge Koussevitzky's second wife Natalie, who had died in 1942. The premiere of the work was played by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1946, with the composer himself conducting.
The Symphony No. 3, Op. 271, sub-titled Te Deum, is a work for orchestra and chorus by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece originated in a 1946 request by Radio France for a Te Deum celebrating the allied victory in World War II. Instead of confining himself to a setting of the liturgical text, Milhaud delivered a four-movement symphony in which the orchestra plays two movements alone. The chorus joins without words in Movement II; only in the finale is the Latin text of the Te Deum sung. This symphony is not to be confused with Milhaud's Chamber Symphony No. 3 "Sérénade," op. 71 (1921).
The Symphony No. 4, Op. 281, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was written in 1947 in response to a request by the French minister of education for a composition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Revolution of 1848. Milhaud wrote this symphony on board a steamship to France from the U.S., where he had lived since 1940. This symphony is not to be confused with Milhaud's Chamber Symphony No. 4, op. 74 (1921).
The Symphony No. 5, Op. 322, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was written in 1953 on a commission from Italian Radio. This work is not to be confused with Milhaud's Chamber Symphony No. 5 for Ten Wind Instruments, op. 75 (1922).
The Symphony No. 6, Op. 343, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was written in 1955 at the request of Charles Munch, for the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This work is not to be confused with Milhaud's Chamber Symphony No. 6, op. 79 (1923).
The Symphony No. 7, Op. 344, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was written in 1955 for a Radio Belge concert in Venice.
The Symphony No. 8, Op. 362, subtitled Rhôdanienne, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was written in 1957 on a commission from the University of California. Its four programmatic movements paint a musical landscape of the course of the Rhone River.
The Symphony No. 9, Op. 380, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was written in 1959 for the Fort Lauderdale Symphony Orchestra and its conductor Mario di Bonaventura.
The Symphony No. 10, Op. 382, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was written in 1960 for the hundredth anniversary of the U.S. state of Oregon.
The Symphony No. 12, Op. 390, subtitled La Rurale, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was written in 1961 for the dedication of the concert hall at the University of California, Davis, a campus historically focused on agricultural studies.
Pacem in terris, Op. 404 is a choral symphony for alto, baritone, chorus and orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. Though often identified only by its title and opus number, it is considered Milhaud's thirteenth and last symphony. The piece was written in 1963, incorporating text written by Pope John XXIII. At least a partial recording of this symphony is available on the Musique En Wallonie label, featuring the Brussels Belgian Radio and TV Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Franz André.
Little (Chamber) Symphony No.4:, Op.74, by Darius Milhaud is a work for 10 string instruments composed in Vienna in 1921. It is not to be confused with Symphony No.4. The music is polytonal and progresses through a variety of contrasting moods. The first two movements employ ostinatos to repeat basic musical ideas. The first movement is marked “Animé”. It is a lively dance in triple meter and stylistically refers back to the baroque period. The second movement is marked “Assez lent” and features multiple double bass solos. The final movement incorporates imitative polyphony in a fugal section.
Little (Chamber) Symphony No. 3, Op. 71 by Darius Milhaud is a work for chamber orchestra that was composed in 1921. The work is also known by the title Sérénade. This work is not to be confused with Milhaud's Symphony No. 3, which is known as Te Deum.
Little (Chamber) Symphony No. 1 “Le Printemps” Op. 43, as the first of a collection of six “Little Symphonies,” by Darius Milhaud is a symphony by name, due to its length of just over 3 minutes. This piece should not be confused with Milhaud's Symphony No. 1. The piece was composed in Rio de Janeiro in the year 1917. It first premiered in Rio de Janeiro in 1918, and was published by Universal in 1922. The influence of Brazilian culture, jazz, and polytonality is very clearly seen in this series of symphonies. According to Milhaud himself, he was quite attracted to the unusual quality of small groups of instruments, which is why he embarked on his series of Petites Symphonies. Due to the fact that he was living in Brazil, acting as assistant to the diplomat/poet Paul Claudel, at the time he wrote this first symphony some of the Brazilian influence can be viewed in his work. This first symphony was written for piccolo, flute, clarinet, oboe, harp, 2 violins, viola, and cello. Overall, this piece has a very simple melody, contains polytonal elements, and possesses a pastoral, folkish feeling throughout. The melodies and pitches evoke a light, airy feeling, such as that of the spring, thus alluding to the symphony's subtitle.
References
- ↑ Schulz, Reinhard. Darius Milhaud Symphonies 10-12 (CD liner notes). CPO, 1996. pp. 9–10.
