Five Important Compositions of Florent Schmitt to be featured in Concert in Spring 2015 by Orchestras in Berlin, Buffalo, Cleveland, Metz and Tokyo

September 18, 2014 · by Phillip Nones | in Ballet, Choral Music, Classical Music, Composers, French Composers | tagged Antoine et Cleopatre, Antony & Cleopatra, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, BPO, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Concert Season, Florent Schmitt, Jacques Mercier, JoAnn Falletta, La Tragedie de Salome, Le Palais Hante, Le Petit Elfe Ferme-l'oeil, Lionel Bringuier, Marek Janowski, Psalm 47, Psaume XLVII, Schmitt, Sinfonietta Shizuoka, The Haunted Palace, Tomoya Nakahara | Leave a comment

The Bachtrack website has just completed uploading its global database of programs for the upcoming concert season. Although it isn’t an exhaustive listing of every orchestral group, the site covers nearly all of the major orchestras and other ensembles around the world, making it a good “one-stop” resource for information about what’s happening on the […]

American violinist John McLaughlin Williams talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and the Sonate libre (1918-19).

September 16, 2014 · by Phillip Nones | in Chamber Music, Classical Music, Composers, French Composers | tagged Bradley Pfaller, David Riley, Florent Schmitt, French Composers, Impressionism, Jean Martinon, John McLaughlin Williams, Matthew Bengtson, Schmitt, Sonata, Sonate, Sonate libre, Violin Sonata | Leave a comment

“In the 20th century, France was unusually blessed with composers who can be called ‘great’ without question or compromise. It’s arguable that they could be listed with a certain linearity. Debussy, Schmitt, Ravel, Messiaen, Dutilleux; when I think of their music it seems clear to me that they were listening to each other, and those […]

Freshness and vitality win the day: An award-winning performance of Florent Schmitt’s 1956 quartet Pour presque tous les temps at the 2014 NZCT Chamber Music Contest in New Zealand.

September 1, 2014 · by Phillip Nones | in Chamber Music, Classical Music, Composers, French Composers | tagged Chamber Music, Chamber Music New Zealand, Classical Music, Doric String Quartet, Ensemble Martinu, Florent Schmitt, French Composers, NZCT Chamber Music Contest, Pour presque tous les temps, Rangitoto College, Schmitt, Schmitten | Leave a comment

One of the most charming late works of Florent Schmitt is his quartet for flute, violin, cello and piano he titled Pour presque tous les temps, Opus 134 (“Quartet for Almost All the Time”). Composed in 1956 for the Quatuor Instrumental de Paris, this four-movement work lasts barely 12 minutes, but is one of the most engaging pieces […]