Symphony No. 6 (Milhaud) Explained

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.^[1] This work is not to be confused with Milhaud's Chamber Symphony No. 6, op. 79 (1923).

Milhaud's Sixth Symphony has four movements and a total running time of about 30 minutes. The titles of the movements, as descriptive of their character as of tempo, are as follows:

1. Calme et tendre (approx. 9')
2. Tumultueux (approx. 6')
3. Lent et doux (approx. 8'45")
4. Joyeux et robuste (approx. 6'30")

This symphony is published by Heugel & Cie.

Recordings

• a stereo recording of the composer himself conducting the Louisville Orchestra, re-released in 2004 on the First Edition label
• a 1992 all-digital recording by Alun Francis and the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Basel, part of a boxed set of Milhaud's Symphonies No. 1-12 on CPO
• a 1997 all-digital recording by Michel Plasson and the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra on Deutsche Grammophon

External links

• Video - Darius Milhaud - Symphony No. 6 (1 of 2) (15:05).
• Video - Darius Milhaud - Symphony No. 6 (2 of 2) (15:18).

Notes and References

1. Schulz. Reinhard. Darius Milhaud Symphonies 5 & 6. CPO, 2000. 9–11. Darius Milhaud. CD liner notes.