MILHAUD Conducts MILHAUD = Les Quatre Saisons; Saudades do Brasil – Ensemble de Solistes des Concerts Lamoureux/Concert Arts Orch. /Darius Milhaud – Pristine

MILHAUD Conducts MILHAUD = Les Quatre Saisons; Saudades do Brasil – Ensemble de Solistes des Concerts Lamoureux/Concert Arts Orchestra (Saudades)/Darius Milhaud – Pristine Audio PASC 272, 67:17 [avail. in various formats from www.pristineclassical.com] ****:
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974), one of the members of Les Six, retains a strong repute for his prolific musical output in a syntax that embraced both the influence of jazz and polytonality. The Four Seasons (rec. June 1958 for Philips) appears as a composite of concerted works assembled between 1934 and 1953. The Concertino de Printemps, Op. 135 here features the gifted violinist Szymon Goldberg in the solo for this nine-minute piece of breezy and amiable cast.  Indeed, we do hear polytonal moments in the course of its busy intricacies in the manner of Stravinsky, a light work of no great mental perspicacity but obviously a delight to perform.
The Concertino d’Ete, Op. 311 features Ernest Wallfisch in the extended viola part, sharing the spotlight with a wind ensemble and double-bass. The neo-classical strain from Stravinsky guides the style of expression, the wind section pungent or lyrical, as required. Despite the obviously high level of execution between Wallfisch and fellow principals, there hovers within this intricate exchange a sense of hollow busy-work, effects that either lyrically charm or casually sachet without much purpose. That the Summer Concertino provides a viola solo of gratifying distinction is not an issue. The so-called Autumn Concertino, Op. 309 Milhaud composed with the duo-pianists Gold and Fizdale in mind: here, the duo is Genevieve Joy and Jacqueline Bonneau. The mood of the work becomes more somber, the colors of the brass mingling with the broken chords of the keyboards to produce stringent jabs, percussive riffs, and angry declamations of some pain. A flute solo midway eases the affect, the harmony’s taking a pentatonic turn, occasionally mimicking Ibert, dark Poulenc, or Stravinsky‘s Symphony in 3 Movements.

Finally, the Concertino d’Hiver, Op. 327, with the talented Maurice Suzan, trombone solo. A busy piece for the trombone solo, Suzan rarely catches his breath, but the long strings and runs of notes daunt him not at all. A perfect vehicle for one of Eugene Ormandy’s old “First Chair” display discs, the piece does reveal a modal soft side, a moody nocturne with the trombone muted. The spirited mood returns, moto perpetuo, the trombone and angular strings ending on an uneasy truce.
The 1922 Overture and 13 Saudades do Brasil (rec. 10-12 September 1956) reflect “an ardent longing for an absent place,” in this case districts, landmarks, and streets in Brazil. The challenge for Milhaud lay in imitating the natural pause and inflection Brazilian syncopation brings to the musical table. As authentic as this performance is under the guiding hand of the composer, I can vouch for an extraordinarily scintillating reading once led by Sergiu Celibidache from Stuttgart. The “Leme” and “Copacobana” sections are the longest at about two-and-one-half minutes; but even within the brief tone pictures, they resonate with Brazilian dance patterns whose simultaneous insistence and simplicity suggest Satie or Ravel. “Ipanema” Milhaud dedicated to Artur Rubinstein, with its ninth chords in weirdly martial clusters. “Gavea” has a festive quality we might associate with the movie Black Orpheus. Pianist Ricardo Vines received the dedication of “Tijuca,” a popular piece despite its angular modality. “Sumare” captures the wild, sultry Amazon aspects of Brazil, music with a touch of curare. For a sense of the Mayan, we have “Paineras,” an exotic song for flute and woodwinds over an ostinato percussion. A bit of rustic jazz infiltrates “Larenjeiras”; and we conclude with “Paysandu,” an evocation of the feminine spirit in Brazil that leads Milhaud to higher realms of self-expression.
— Gary Lemco