A commemorative postage stamp honoring French composer Florent Schmitt, issued in 1992.
When it came to premiere performances of Florent Schmitt’s orchestral music, the composer was fortunate to have the best conductors in France eager to introduce these new works to the public.
Indeed, Schmitt appears to have fared better than many other composers in this regard.
Beginning in 1900 and extending more than a half-century beyond – all the way to the last few months of the composer’s life in 1958 – more than 50 orchestral world premieres were led by some of the world’s best-known conductors, ranging chronologically from Paul Taffanel to Pierre Dervaux.
All of the premieres happened in France with the exception of the Symphonie Concertante, Op. 82, which was composed by Schmitt for the Boston Symphony’s 50th anniversary — and was premiered in that city by Serge Koussevitzky, with the composer at the keyboard.
Passionate advocate: Paul Paray (1886-1979) led more world premiere performances of Florent Schmitt’s orchestral music than any other conductor.
The conductor who led the most premiere performances was the great orchestra leader Paul Paray, who introduced eleven Schmitt compositions in the concert hall between 1924 and 1951. And Maestro Paray would continue to program Florent Schmitt’s music throughout his long conducting career — all the way up until the end of his life in 1979 at age 93.
Listed below are the premiere performances of Schmitt’s orchestral music, grouped alphabetically by conductor and by opus number within. (Note: Changes, enhancements or additions to this listing are welcomed.)
Eugène Bigot (1888-1965)
- Fête de la lumière, Op. 89, June 1937 [day of month unknown]
- Enfants, Op. 94, May 9, 1943
- Quatre poèmes de Ronsard for Soprano & Orchestra, Op. 100, March 15, 1942
- Habeyssée, Suite for Violin & Orchestra, Op. 110, March 12, 1948
Camille Chevillard (1859-1923)
- Rêve au bord de l’eau, Op. 19, No. 4, 1913 [day and month unknown]
- Le Palais hanté, Op. 49, January 8, 1905
- Rapsodie viennoise, Op. 53, No. 3, November 29, 1911
- Chant de guerre, Op. 63, June 1916 [day of month unknown]
- Rêves, Op. 65, November 17, 1918 *
- Antoine et Cléopâtre, Suites 1 & 2, Op. 69, October 17, 1920
A letter from Camille Chevillard to Florent Schmitt, dated 1920. Maestro Chevillard was responsible for a number of important premieres of Schmitt’s orchestral compositions in the early 1900s.
André Cluytens (1905-1967)
- Le chant de la nuit for Chorus & Orchestra, Op. 120, February 4, 1951
Pierre Dervaux (1917-1992)
- Suite en trois parties for Trumpet & Orchestra, Op. 133, January 27, 1956
Jane Evrard (1893-1984)
- ‘Janiana’ Symphony for String Orchestra, Op. 101, May 1, 1941
Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941)
- Oriane et le Prince d’amour, Op. 83 (complete ballet), January 7, 1938
George Georgescu (Georges Georgesco) (1887-1964)
- Ronde burlesque, Op. 79, January, 1930 [day of month unknown]
Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht (1880-1965)
- Psaume XLVII for Soprano, Organ, Chorus & Orchestra, Op. 38, December 27, 1906 **
- Musiques de plein air, Op. 44, 1906 [month/day unknown]
- La Tragédie de Salomé, Op. 50 (original version), November 9, 1907
- Danse des Devadasis, Op. 47, 1914, 1915 or 1916 [year/month/day unknown]
- Danse d’Abisag, Op. 75 (choreographic version), June 27, 1925
Serge Koussevitzky (1874-1951)
- Mirages, Op. 70, May 28, 1924
- Symphonie Concertante for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 82, November 24, 1932
Louis Martin (1907-1978)
- Cinq choeurs en vingt minutes, Op. 117, June 19, 1951
André Messager (1853-1929)
- Danse des Devadasis, Op. 47, February 22, 1914
An announcement in the French publication L’Art musical advertising the premiere performance of the concert suite from Florent Schmitt’s ballet Oriane et le Prince d’Amour in February 1937, directed by Charles Munch.
Charles Munch (1891-1968)
- Oriane et le Prince d’amour, Opus 83b (ballet suite), February 12, 1937
- Chaine brisée, Op. 87, December 18, 1938
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 137, June 15, 1958
Florent Schmitt, photographed in 1953 at the age of 83. The composer had yet to pen ten more published works in the remaining five years of his life. (Photo: Boris Lipnitzki/Roger-Viollet)
Paul Paray (1886-1979)
- Trois rapsodies, Op. 53, January 29, 1928
- Cinq motets, Op. 60, January 21, 1934
- In Memoriam, Op. 72, November 3, 1935
- Fonctionnaire MCMXII, Op. 74, January 16, 1924
- Danse d’Abisag, Op. 75 (concert hall version), January 24, 1926
- Kermesse-Valse, Op. 80, April 4, 1936
- Six Choeurs for Female Voices & Orchestra, Op. 81, February 19, 1933
- Trois Danses, Op. 86, February 18, 1939
- Suite sans esprit de suite, Op. 88, January 29, 1938
- Introït, récit et congé for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 113, December 16, 1951
- Scènes de la vie moyenne, Op. 124, October 2, 1950
Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937)
- Chant élegiaque for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 24, 1912 [month/day unknown]
- Musique sur l’eau for Soprano & Orchestra, Op. 33, January 24,1931
- La Tragédie de Salomé, Op. 50 (revised version), January 8, 1911
- Scherzo-vif, Op. 59, 1925 [month/day unknown]
- Salammbô, Suites 1-3, Op. 76, November 20, 1927 ***
- Musique sur l’eau, Op. 33, January 24, 1931
- Tristisse au jardin, Op. 52, January 24, 1931
- Ombres for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 64, No. 1 (J’entends dans le lointain …), February 15, 1930
- Le petit elfe Ferme-l’oeil, Op. 73 (concert hall premiere), November 20, 1927
Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937), photographed in 1898. (Photo: Wilhelm Benque)
Gaston Poulet (1892-1974)
- Cançunik, Op. 79, February 16, 1930
- Trois Chants for Soprano & Orchestra, Op. 98, April 18, 1943
Joseph-Étienne Szyfer (1887-1947)
- Feuillets de voyage, Op. 26, 1913 [month/day unknown]
- Salammbô, Op. 76 (original film version), October 22, 1925
Paul Taffanel (1844-1908)
Sémiramis, Op. 14, November 3, 1900
Paul Vidal (1863-1931)
- Chant élegiaque for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 24, January 21, 1912
The premiere performance of Florent Schmitt’s Chant élegiaque was scheduled to be conducted by Gabriel Pierné. but fellow French composer-conductor Paul Vidal was a last-minute substitution. (Vintage program courtesy of Cyril Bongers)
Albert Wolff (1884-1970)
- Le Petit elfe Ferme-l’oeil, Op. 73 (original stage production), February 5, 1924
- Final for Cello & Orchestra, Op. 77, March 25, 1927
- L’arbre entre tous for Chorus & Orchestra, Op. 95, March 1940 [day unknown]
A card announcing a “Florent Schmitt Festival” held on January 3, 1932 at the Salle Gaveau, with a bevy of performers led by the conductor Albert Wolff.
* Note: BBC Proms archivists claim that Sir Henry Wood’s New Queen’s Hall Orchestra concert on October 16, 1919 in London was the world premiere performance of Rêves, but the Chevillard/Paris performance came nearly a year earlier.
** Note: There is conflicting information pertaining to the conductor of the premiere performance of Psaume XLVII. Yves Hucher reports that the conductor was Désiré-Émilie Inghelbrecht, whereas Catherine Lorent and Jann Pasler report that it was Henri Büsser (1872-1973) instead.
*** Note: There is conflicting information pertaining to the premiere performances of the Salammbô suites. Yves Hucher reports the first performance of all three suites happening together on November 20, 1927, whereas Catherine Lorent reports the premiere performances of the individual suites occurring at different times (March 1927, December 1928 and May 1931).
Sources: Florent Schmitt: L’homme et l’artiste, Yves Hucher, Éditions Le Bon Plaisir, Paris, 1955; L’oeuvre de Florent Schmitt, Yves Hucher, Durand & Cie, 1960; musicandhistory.com … with edits/updates by Phillip Nones.