Piano Sonata No. 2
Alerte; Leger; Doucement; Rapide played by Monique Haas
(first performance)
Darius Milhaud comes from an old Jewish family long settled in Provence. There is consequently a Mediterranean brilliance and gaiety in his music, and with it a tender, nostalgic strain, reflective and sensitive A many-sided personality, Milhaud is one of the most naturally gifted composers of our time. He has been a great traveller, readily assimilating into his individual style the influences of popular music—jazz rhythms, Mexican dances, and South American banjos. In his youth he was a member of the Paris group of composers known as ' Les Six/ and his music of that time displays a delightful, sometimes pawky sense of humour that persists still in the more elaborate works of his maturity. His second piano sonata, dedicated to Monique Haas , was written last year during his visit to Mills College. California.
Edward Lockspeiser