CCIX. MILHAUD, Darius (1892-1974)
Milhaud's friendshp with Paul Claudel led him to Brazil in 1916, providing the inspiration for Saudades. Every piece in the collection is dedicated to a different person.
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Muse is, of course, about his beloved wife, Madeleine, who provides the narration here.
Muse is, of course, about his beloved wife, Madeleine, who provides the narration here.
"Opening with a dedication to his wife, La mienne (My Own), the day begins with Le réveil (Waking Up) and proceeds to Les soins du ménage (Household cares), a moment of poetry in La poésie, busy cooking in La cuisine and a more lyrical evocation of flowers in the house in Les fleurs dans la maison. The washing is done in La lessive, there is music together in Musique ensemble and acknowledgement of his son Daniel in Le fils peintre (The Painter Son). In Le chat the cat takes its ease, followed by Cartomancie (Fortune-Telling) and the very real Les soins au malade (Nursing the Sick). The day draws to a close with La douceur des soirées (Sweetness of the Evenings) and Lectures nocturnes (Reading at Night). The work ends with Reconnaissance à la Muse (Gratitude to the Muse).
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Drawn from his score for Renoir's Madame Bovary, these piano arrangements are accompanied by extracts from the Flaubert novel, chosen by Madeleine Milhaud.
Drawn from his score for Renoir's Madame Bovary, these piano arrangements are accompanied by extracts from the Flaubert novel, chosen by Madeleine Milhaud.
"They do not follow the order of the novel's narrative, but start with reference to the early days of Emma's marriage. The beggar's song (Chanson) belongs to a later stage in the narrative and has symbolic significance, while Rêverie takes us back to Emma's early dreams, at her convent school. Le Tilbury (The Carriage) takes Emma and Léon on their headlong ride, after their assignation in the cathedral. The exact placing of the extracts in the narrative (Romance, Game, Autograph, The Saint Hubert, Sigh, In the Woods, Promenade, Thinking, Chagrin, Barcarolle and Last Pages) is hardly necessary to an understanding of the music, matched here with reflections of Emma Bovary's moods and feelings as the tragedy unfolds."
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