Le Boeuf sur le Toit Op 58 for clarinet ensemble

Brazilian dance tunes like the tango, samba, and choro are featured in this lively character piece. Milhaud’s orchestral version was background music for a 1920 pantomime farce “The Nothing Doing Bar.”

Themes depicting partying and gambling are evident as expressed by a diverse cast that includes a black boxer, a pool shooting midget, brightly dressed ladies, and a policeman who gets decapitated by a ceiling fan and then magically restored after all the revelry is concluded. The striking melodies shift between the three Bb clarinets.

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Performed by CarolinaClarinet Quartet