Bartok: Kossuth; Two Portraits; Suite No. 1

Part of the great French musical tradition and a member of Les Six, Darius Milhaud was an important avant-garde figure in early 20th century Paris.
The Oresteia of Aeschylus trilogy arose from his lifelong interest in Greek mythology and drama, inspired by the expressive, syncopated rhythms of Paul Claudel's poetic texts. In addition to innovative rhythmic elements, the trilogy exhibits complex harmonic techniques, particularly polytonality, which Milhaud believed gave him more varied ways of expressing sweetness in addition to violence. Because the three parts of the Orestie trilogy were written over a 10-year period, each work has a distinct style. The trilogy, taken as a whole, provides a glimpse into the interaction between modern and traditional, as well as between the French and the foreign, which characterized the music of early 20th-century Paris. L'Agamemnon's fairly customary turn-of-the-century orchestra is expanded in Les Choéphores with the quite uncustomary supplement of 15 percussionists. Les Choéphores requires substantial speaking parts for the chorus and the leader of the slave women. In Les Euménides, Milhaud enriches the palette still further by adding two quartets: one of saxophones and one of saxhorns - 19th-century valved brass instruments once common in military bands but that almost never join an orchestra or accompany a choir.