A Surprising Collaboration and Friendship: Florent Schmitt and Frederick Delius (1894-1934)

April 20, 2014 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Opera, Piano Music, Vocal Music | tagged Classical Music, Composers, David Eccott, Florent Schmitt, Frederick Delius, French Composers, Grez-sur-loing, Irmelin, Jelka Rosen, Koanga, Lionel Carley, Romeo & Juliet, Schmitt, William Molard | Leave a comment

One interesting yet virtually unknown early chapter in Florent Schmitt’s musical life involved the work he did in creating the piano/vocal reduction scores of the first four operas of the English composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934). These efforts began around 1894 when Schmitt was not yet 25 years old, with the transcription of Delius’ opera Irmelin. The […]

Brilliance and Sophistication: Florent Schmitt’s Trois Rapsodies for Two Pianos (1903-04)

April 14, 2014 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Piano Four-Hand Music, Piano Music | tagged Alfred De Veto, Alfred Hertz, Andrey Kasparov, Arthur Loesser, Bartlett & Robertson, Beryl Rubinstein, Brian Hsu, Camille Chevillard, Casadesus, Charles Burr, Classical Music, Dr. William Mason, Ellsworth Grumman, Emil Oberhoffer, Eugene Bigot, Florent Schmitt, Forgotten Records, Francaise, Frank Cooper, Frederique Gauthier, French Composers, Gaby Casadesus, Genevieve Fei-wen Lee, Georges Longy, Georges Witkowski, Gunnar Johansen, Gwendolyn Mok, H. Stanley Knight, Helene Lampl, Igor Kipnis, Invencia Piano Duo, Jacques Lacombe, Jacques Mercier, Jeanne Demessieux, Jeffrey LeDeur, JoAnn Falletta, Josef Stransky, Leopold Stokowski, Les Apaches, Leslie De'Ath, Lionel Bringuier, Martin Marks, Marvine Maazel, Nadya Gordon, Nathaniel Shilkret, Orchestre Lamoureux, Ossip Grabrilowitsch, Paul Paray, Piano Duo, Piano Music, Polonaise, Rhapsodie Parisienne, Schmitt, Sidney Beer, Stephane Deneve, Steven Gordon, Trois Rapsodies, Viennoise | 2 Comments

One of the most musically satisfying of Florent Schmitt’s extensive trove of compositions for piano duet and duo – and the one that is my personal favorite among all of them – is Trois Rapsodies, Op. 53, a work he composed in 1903-04 during his time at the Villa Medici in Rome. Made up of three […]

French Cellist Henri Demarquette talks about the Music of Florent Schmitt and the Introït, récit et congé (1948).

April 7, 2014 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers | tagged Boris Berezovsky, Brigitte Engerer, Cello Music, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Diapason d'Or Award, Florent Schmitt, French Composers, Henri Demarquette, Introit recit et conge, Jaime Laredo, Jean Cras, Maurice Gendron, Maurice Ravel, Michel Legrand, Michel Onfrey, Nones, Paul Tortelier, Pierre Fournier, Quinteto el Despues, Richard Galliano, Schmitt, Timpani, Vocello | 1 Comment

The recent release of the premiere recording of Florent Schmitt’s Introït, récit et congé, Op. 113, has given lovers of French music and cello music in general the opportunity to hear an interesting and inventive concertante piece that was composed in 1948 for the French cellist André Navarra. Fortunately, this premiere recording (on the Timpani label) […]