Darius Milhaud: A Frenchman in New York (1962)

[@PentameronSV]

0:00 - I. New York with Fog on the Hudson River 4:23 - II. The Cloisters 9:29 - III. Horse and Carriage in Central Park 13:07 - IV. Times Square 16:43 - V. Gardens on the Roofs 21:06 - VI. Baseball in Yankee Stadium

[@jacquesbekaert469]

A discovery. About my favorite city in the world.

[@9827george]

a discovery - about my favourite nationality in the world.

[@Yamamanama]

Performed in my favorite city in the world.

[@PMC7009]

Sony has actually released it on CD, but only in Japan: www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/ArthurFiedlerAndBPO/discography/SICC-2118

[@wilsonochoa4899]

This piece has always been plagued by faulty expectations. Taken on it's own terms, it is an interesting multi-movement modern tone poem about a modern city. However, the piece was commissioned by the Boston Pops, with the expectation that it would be a charming companion piece to Gershwin's "An American in Paris" (and indeed, these were opposite sides of the LP that Fiedler and Boston recorded and released after the premiere of the Milhaud). But "A Frenchman in New York" is no jazzy, light pops piece, as the title might lead an audience to expect. Indeed only the 4th and 6th movements could be remotely considered pops fare (and even those...). It is those unrealistic expectations about the piece which have kept it from finding any sort of acceptance (which is why the LP went out of print early on, and no CD of the recording of this piece was ever released in the USA).

[@maestroclassico5801]

So interesting. Folks were expecting Milhaud to copy Gershwin's style. I'll bet Fiedler fans were shocked when they heard this! It's hardly standard "Boston Pops" fare! Interestingly there has always been a debate among musicologists which composer kind of first utilized "Symphonic ..JAZZ" Gershwin with Rhapsody in Blue or Milhaud with La Creation du Monde. La Creation predates Rhapsody by a year...1923.