Search - Darius Milhaud, Leonard Bernstein, Orchestre National de France :: Milhaud: La Création du monde; Le B?uf sur le toit; Saudades do Brasil

Leonard Bernstein was the great conductor of "classical jazz" music, including George Gershwin and much of his own. That makes him an ideal interpreter of Darius Milhaud's two ballets, one an evocation of Harlem nightclubs of the 1920s, the other a picture of Brazilian street music during Carnival season in Rio. The French musicians respond to his committed leadership with complete enthusiasm, and for years this disc has stood as the essential collection of Milhaud ballet music. "Saudades do Brasil" is a little suite of piano pieces, some of which were later orchestrated by the composer, and the selection performed here make a perfect encore. --David Hurwitz