Between 1917 and 1923, Darius Milhaud wrote six symphonies for small groups of instruments, each lasting a maximum of six minutes. Symphony No. 6 was arranged for four singers and two instruments. In 1927, he wrote three operas, also short and for small groups of instruments. He was not the only composer to be interested in themes from Greek mythology during the 1920s: Stravinsky’s Oedipus received its world première in 1927 and Orff’s Orpheus in 1925. The music is simple and stylised with concise rhythms and a vocal sextet which takes on the role of a classical Greek chorus.