Symphony No. 4 (Milhaud)

The Symphony No. 4, Op. 281, is a work for orchestra by French composer Darius Milhaud. The piece was written in 1947 in response to a request by the French minister of education for a composition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Revolution of 1848. Milhaud wrote this symphony on board a steamship to France from the U.S., where he had lived since 1940.{{cite AV media notes|last=Schulz|first=Reinhard|title=Darius Milhaud Symphonies 1 & 4|publisher=CPO, 1998|pages=9|authorlink=Darius Milhaud|others=Susan Marie Praeder (trans.)|type=CD liner notes}} This symphony is not to be confused with Milhaud's Chamber Symphony No. 4, op. 74 (1921).

Milhaud's Fourth Symphony has four movements and a total running time of a bit over 28 minutes. The outer movements have a military flavor, dominated by wind instruments and percussion. The descriptive titles of the movements are as follows:

1. L'insurrection. Animé (approx. 5')
2. Aux Morts de la République. Lent (approx. 13')
3. Le Joies de la Liberté retrouvée. Modérément animé (approx. 4')
4. Commémoration 1948. Animé (approx. 7'15")

This symphony is published by Editions Salabert.