Austrian conductor Gottfried Rabl talks about preparing and presenting the 2020 Romanian premiere performance of Florent Schmitt’s blockbuster choral composition Psalm 47 (1904).

In early March 2020, I had the opportunity to attend what turned out to be the very last public performances of Florent Schmitt’s orchestral before the Coronavirus pandemic effectively shut down classical concerts across the globe. Those concerts, presented by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of JoAnn Falletta, were noteworthy not only because the […]

Musicians Louis-Philippe Bonin, Janz Castelo and Nikki Chooi talk about Florent Schmitt’s moody, musing Légende (1918) and the three versions the composer created featuring solo saxophone, viola and violin.

March 14, 2020 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Instrumental Music | tagged Andorra SaxFest, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Charles Munch, Claude Debussy, Elise Hall, Ensemble SaxoLogie, Fernande Decruck, Florent Schmitt, Hortense de Sampigny, International Adolphe Sax Competition, Janz Castelo, JoAnn Falletta, Legende, Leon Moreau, Louis-Philippe Bonin, Marcel Mule, Maurice Vieux, Nikki Chooi, Vincent d'Indy | Leave a comment

On March 6 and 7, 2020, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of its music director, JoAnn Falletta, presented Florent Schmitt’s Légende, Op. 66 in concert. However, it wasn’t the customary version for saxophone that the composer had created in 1918, but rather the version prepared several years later that features a solo violin. […]

Conductor JoAnn Falletta talks about preparing Florent Schmitt’s Oriane et le Prince d’Amour ballet suite (1933-34) for performance and recording.

March 12, 2020 · by Phillip Nones | in Ballet, Classical Music, Composers, French Composers | tagged Charles Munch, Claude Seran, Debussy, Florent Schmitt, Ida Rubinstein, JoAnn Falletta, Legende, Louis Aubert, Maurice Ravel, Olivier Messiaen, Oriane, Oriane et le Prince d'amour | Leave a comment

On March 7 and 8, 2020, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of its music director, JoAnn Falletta, presented what may well be the North American premiere performances of the suite from Florent Schmitt’s ballet Oriane et le Prince d’Amour. Composed in 1933-34 for Ida Rubinstein, the famed dancer and dramatic actress who commanded […]