Interviews with Musicians and Scholars who Champion the Artistry of Florent Schmitt

Florent Schmitt French composer

Florent Schmitt at the age of 67. (1937 photo by Lipnitzki/Roger-Viollet)

In addition to profiling the musical output of the French composer Florent Schmitt, this website and blog seeks out the musicians and scholars who are performing or promoting his works in concert and on recordings.

Since 2012, numerous interviews have been conducted and published on this site. Included among them are some of the world’s most famous classical artists of today, along with a growing number of fresh, talented newcomers who show strong promise for the future.

Listed below are links to the interview articles. Each one is well-worth exploring.

Doug Adams, film music author and journalist

Doug Adams

Doug Adams, film music specialist and arranger (USA)

Film music specialist Doug Adams talks about Florent Schmitt’s Salammbô (1925) and other music scores from the silent film era, June 12, 2014

Robin Barber, physician and author (UK/Australia)

Florent Schmitt and Ralph Vaughan Williams: A friendship over five decades, December 4, 2014

Bill Barclay Shakespeare's Globe

Bill Barclay (Photo: ©Helena Misciosia)

Bill Barclay, actor and composer (USA/UK)

Bill Barclay, music director of Shakespeare’s Globe, talks about bringing Florent Schmitt’s Antony & Cleopatra (1920) to the Hollywood Bowl and the Barbican Centre, December 3, 2016

Director Bill Barclay and conductor JoAnn Falletta talk about mounting a dramatic adaptation of Antony & Cleopatra that pairs Shakespeare’s words with Florent Schmitt’s jaw-dropping music from the 1920 Paris production of the play, May 24, 2019

Rob Barnett, music critic (UK)

Music critic Rob Barnett talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and its growing presence on recordings, December 1, 2017

Christopher Bartz, saxophonist (USA)

Saxophonist Christopher Bartz talks about Florent Schmitt’s Légende (1918) and its pride of place in the saxophone repertoire, September 1, 2013

Matthew Bassett, timpanist (USA)

Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015

Bruno Belthoise pianist

Bruno Belthoise

Bruno Belthoise, pianist (France)

French pianist Bruno Belthoise talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and Le petit elfe Ferme-l’oeil (1912), August 10, 2013

French pianist Bruno Belthoise talks about keeping Florent Schmitt’s Une semaine du petit elfe Ferme-l’oeil (1912) part of his performing repertoire over the years, December 10, 2017

Roberto Beltrán-Zavala, conductor (Mexico/Netherlands)

Orchestral conductor Roberto Beltrán-Zavala talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and Rêves (1915), March 14, 2016

Matthew Bengtson pianist

Matthew Bengtson

Matthew Bengtson, pianist (USA)

Violinist John McLaughlin Williams and pianist Matthew Bengtson talk about the challenges and rewards of performing Florent Schmitt’s Sonate libre (1918-19), October 26, 2022

American pianist Matthew Bengtson talks about discovering and performing Trois danses (1934-35), Florent Schmitt’s captivating exploration of the dancing spirit, November 1, 2023

Ewa Biegas Copyright Jon Yamomoto

Ewa Biegas (Photo: © Jon Yamomoto)

Ewa Biegas, soprano (Poland)

French conductor Jean-Luc Tingaud, soprano Ewa Biegas and choral director Teresa Majka-Pacanek talk about the 2016 Polish premiere performances of Florent Schmitt’s choral masterpiece Psalm 47 (1904), February 25, 2016

Louis-Philippe Bonin, saxophonist (Canada)

Canadian saxophonist Louis-Philippe Bonin talks about Florent Schmitt’s Saxophone Quartet (1941) and its pride of place in the saxophone repertoire, August 6, 2016

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

Lionel Bringuier French orchestra conductor

Lionel Bringuier

Lionel Bringuier, conductor (France)

Passionate advocate: French conductor Lionel Bringuier talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and La Tragédie de Salomé, April 25, 2015

Eric Butruille, arts administrator (France)

Experiencing Florent Schmitt’s Psaume XLVII in concert: An eyewitness report from Berlin, March 2, 2015

Experiencing Florent Schmitt’s Antony & Cleopatra (1920) and other orientalist masterpieces from France’s “Golden Age” of classical music live in concert: An eyewitness report from Paris, June 19, 2018

Clement Canonne pianist

Clément Canonne

Clément Canonne, pianist (France)

French pianist Clément Canonne talks about discovering and recording the late-career solo piano compositions of Florent Schmitt, February 1, 2024

Dennis Carter, flautist (USA)

Musicians of the Scarab Club Chamber Music Series Talk About Preparing and Performing Florent Schmitt’s Quartet Pour presque tous les temps (1956), October 16, 2018

Roberto Casado flute Spain

Roberto Casado

Roberto Casado, flautist (Spain)

Spanish flautist Roberto Casado talks about Florent Schmitt’s Sonatine en trio and Suite en rocaille – and their place in French Impressionistic music, January 20, 2014

Janz Castelo de Armas, violist (USA)

Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015

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

Claudio Chaiquin French Argentine pianist

Claudio Chaiquin

Claudio Chaiquin, pianist (Argentina/France)

Musicians Beata Halska and Claudio Chaiquin talk about researching and recording French composer Florent Schmitt’s music for violin and piano, December 6, 2015

Nikki Chooi, violinist (Canada/USA)

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

John Clouser, bassoonist (USA)

Musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and La Tragédie de Salomé, April 20, 2015

Megan Varvir Coe, musicologist (USA)

Musicologist Megan Varvir Coe talks about the Symbolist roots of Florent Schmitt’s ballet La Tragédie de Salomé (1907/10), July 5, 2017

Julien Columeau author France Pakistan

Julien Columeau (Photo: Arif Ali, Agence France-Presse)

Julien Columeau, author and novelist (France/Pakistan)

Julian Columeau, noted French novelist in the Urdu language, talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and how it inspires his writing, June 1, 2016

Frank Cooper, pianist and musicologist (USA)

Pianist and musicologist Frank Cooper talks about discovering Florent Schmitt’s Trois rapsodies (1903-4) and preparing a pioneering recital performance of the piece with Martin Marks in 1967, October 17, 2021

Catherine Dallaire, violinist (Canada)

Members of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec talk about Florent Schmitt’s Ronde burlesque (1927) and explore the “secret sauce” of the composer’s orchestral writing, May 27, 2017

Nadine Deleury, cellist (Canada)

Musicians of the Scarab Club Chamber Music Series Talk About Preparing and Performing Florent Schmitt’s Quartet Pour presque tous les temps (1956), October 16, 2018

Henri Demarquette, cellist (France)

French cellist Henri Demarquette talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and the Introït, récit et conge (1948), April 7, 2014

Duillaume Le Dreau

Guillaume Le Dréau

Guillaume Le Dréau, organist, teacher and music researcher (France)

Organist and music researcher Guillaume Le Dréau talks about French composer Florent Schmitt’s consequential work as a Parisian music critic (1912-1939), January 20, 2017

Musicians Edward Rushton, Guillaume Le Dréau and JoAnn Falletta talk about Florent Schmitt’s captivating Chansons à quatre voix (1903-05), February 16, 2017

JoAnn Falletta conductor

JoAnn Falletta

JoAnn Falletta, conductor (USA)

Conductors JoAnn Falletta and Jorge Mester talk about the music of Florent Schmitt, January 3, 2013

American orchestra conductor JoAnn Falletta talks about performing and recording the music of Florent Schmitt (Antoine et Cléopâtre and Le Palais hanté), March 10, 2015

American conductor JoAnn Falletta talks about the release of her new NAXOS recording of Florent Schmitt’s Antony & Cleopatra and The Haunted Palace with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, October 22, 2015

Conductor JoAnn Falletta’s Podcast Interview for NAXOS on the Musical Legacy of French Composer Florent Schmitt, November 1, 2015

Musicians Edward Rushton, Guillaume Le Dréau and JoAnn Falletta talk about Florent Schmitt’s captivating Chansons à quatre voix (1903-05), February 16, 2017

Conductor JoAnn Falletta and mezzo-soprano Susan Platts talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording (Musique sur l’eau – 1898/1913 and La Tragédie de Salomé – 1907/10), March 9, 2019

Director Bill Barclay and conductor JoAnn Falletta talk about mounting a dramatic adaptation of Antony & Cleopatra that pairs Shakespeare’s words with Florent Schmitt’s jaw-dropping music from the 1920 Paris production of the play, May 24, 2019

Danse des Devadasis (1908): Florent Schmitt’s masterful evocation of the temple dancers of South India, February 3, 2020

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

Conductor JoAnn Falletta talks about performing In Memoriam (1935), Florent Schmitt’s fervent tribute to his teacher and mentor Gabriel Fauré, November 17, 2022

Jeannette Fang pianist

Jeannette Fang

Jeannette Fang, pianist (USA)

Members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s Hasards (1943) for performance, May 5, 2015

Michael Feingold, orchestrator and arranger (USA)

French music specialist Michael Feingold talks about creating orchestrations of Maurice Ravel’s piano and vocal scores, December 28, 2018

Philippe Ferro, conductor and wind ensemble specialist (France)

French conductor and wind ensemble specialist Philippe Ferro talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and Hymne funèbre (1899/1933), September 10, 2016

Vincent Figuri

Vincent Figuri

Vincent Figuri, narrator and actor (France)

French actor and narrator Vincent Figuri talks about resurrecting and recording the full version of Florent Schmitt’s Fonctionnaire MCMXII (1923) with narration, March 1, 2018

Stéphane Fontaine, clarinetist (Canada)

Members of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec talk about Florent Schmitt’s Ronde burlesque (1927) and explore the “secret sauce” of the composer’s orchestral writing, May 27, 2017

Mélanie Forget

Mélanie Forget

Mélanie Forget, bassoonist (Canada)

Members of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec talk about Florent Schmitt’s Ronde burlesque (1927) and explore the “secret sauce” of the composer’s orchestral writing, May 27, 2017

Reinhold Friedrich, trumpeter (Germany/Switzerland)

International trumpet soloist and pedagogue Reinhold Friedrich talks about the release of his new recording L’Amour française – ten French compositions including the Suite en trois parties by Florent Schmitt (1955), March 1, 2017

Fabien Gabel orchestra conductor

Fabien Gabel

Fabien Gabel, conductor (France)

French Conductor Fabien Gabel talks about Rêves (1915), other compositions of Florent Schmitt, and the future of French music in the concert hall, June 10, 2016

French conductor Fabien Gabel talks about Florent Schmitt’s Ronde burlesque (1927) … and why he champions the music of this composer around the world, June 1, 2017

French conductor Fabien Gabel talks about Florent Schmitt’s Le Palais hanté (1904) and leading The Cleveland Orchestra in its first performance of this Poe-inspired tone picture, August 21, 2017

Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin and French conductor Fabien Gabel talk about becoming acquainted with Florent Schmitt’s choral spectacular Psalm 47 (1904) and preparing the music for performance, June 4, 2019

Håkan Hardenberger and Fabien Gabel talk about making their new orchestral recording featuring twentieth century French trumpet concertante works, including Florent Schmitt’s Suite en trois parties (1955), September 20, 2021

Conductor Fabien Gabel talks about the strategy behind his October 2021 “Salome-centric” concert with the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, December 3, 2021

Conductor Fabien Gabel talks about his musical journey with French composer Florent Schmitt, May 24, 2022

Conductor Fabien Gabel is interviewed by Crescendo Magazine about his new recording with Håkan Hardenberger, featuring French music for trumpet and orchestra including Florent Schmitt’s Suite en trois parties (1955), June 15, 2022

Karina Gauvin, soprano (Canada)

Karina Gauvin soprano Canada

Karina Gauvin (Photo: Michael Slobodian)

Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin and French conductor Fabien Gabel talk about becoming acquainted with Florent Schmitt’s choral spectacular Psalm 47 (1904) and preparing the music for performance, June 4, 2019

Danse des Devadasis (1908): Florent Schmitt’s masterful evocation of the temple dancers of South India, February 3, 2020

George N. 'Nick' Gianopoulos

George N. Gianopoulos

George N. Gianopoulos, composer (USA)

American composer George N. Gianopoulos talks about his development as a creative artist and the inspiration of an earlier-generation creator, Florent Schmitt, March 1, 2023

David Grandis, conductor (France/USA)

French-American conductor David Grandis talks about discovering the music of French composer Max d’Ollone and championing his music in the concert hall, September 4, 2019

Evelyn Grau, violist (USA)

Members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s Hasards (1943) for performance, May 5, 2015

Beata Halska Polish-French violinist

Beata Halska-Le Monnier

Beata Halska-Le Monnier, violinist (Poland/France)

Musicians Beata Halska and Claudio Chaiquin talk about researching and recording French composer Florent Schmitt’s music for violin and piano, December 6, 2015

Armand Hall, conductor and educator (USA)

Conductor and educator Armand Hall talks about the journey of Florent Schmitt’s Dionysiaques (1913) to its pinnacle position in the concert band repertoire, June 24, 2017

Hakan Hardenberger trumpeet

Håkan Hardenberger

Håkan Hardenberger, trumpeter (Sweden)

Håkan Hardenberger and Fabien Gabel talk about making their new orchestral recording featuring twentieth century French trumpet concertante works, including Florent Schmitt’s Suite en trois parties (1955), September 20, 2021

Edmund Harris, heritage consultant (UK)

Experiencing Florent Schmitt’s Antony & Cleopatra (1920) in a dramatic adaptation: An eyewitness report from London, October 10, 2016

Experiencing Florent Schmitt’s Symphony No. 2 (1957) in concert: An eyewitness report from London, November 1, 2017

Kenan Henderson, pianist

Kenan Henderson

Kenan Henderson, pianist (Australia)

Florent Schmitt’s Crépuscules (1898-1911):  Richly evocative tone painting in the finest French pianistic tradition, October 27, 2013

Travis Hendra, orchestra librarian (USA)

Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015

French Pianist Élizabeth Herbin

Élizabeth Herbin

Élizabeth Herbin, pianist (France)

Élizabeth Herbin, French pianist and daughter of composer René Herbin, talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and her father, May 21, 2013

Alistair Hinton, composer (UK)

Scottish composer Alistair Hinton talks about the influential artistry of Florent Schmitt, September 1, 2020

Linda Ippolito, pianist and legal specialist (Canada)

Canadian pianist Linda Ippolito talks about discovering and performing Pupazzi (1907), Florent Schmitt’s whimsical tribute to Commedia dell’Arte characters, August 21, 2019

Emmanuel Jourquin-Bourgeois, author and media programming specialist (France)

French author Emmanuel Jourquin-Bourgeois talks about the life of his grandfather, Pierre Bourgeois, and his consequential tenure as head of Pathé-Marconi during the 1950s, July 1, 2021

Carl-Philipp Kaptain trombone

Carl-Philipp Kaptain

Carl-Philipp Kaptain, trombonist (Germany)

Musicians of the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra talk about discovering Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Trombones and Tuba (1946) and preparing it for performance, April 1, 2021

Andrey Kasparov, pianist (Armenia/USA)

Duo-pianists Kasparov and Lutsyshyn talk about their new Florent Schmitt recording project, February 5, 2013

Velda Kelly, violinist (USA)

Musicians of the Scarab Club Chamber Music Series Talk About Preparing and Performing Florent Schmitt’s Quartet Pour presque tous les temps (1956), October 16, 2018

Elisa Kohanski, cellist (USA)

American cellist Elisa Kohanski talks about Florent Schmitt’s Chant élégiaque (1899-1903) and its debt to Gabriel Fauré’s Élégie, August 1, 2018

Joshua Kovach

Joshua Kovach

Joshua Kovach, clarinetist (USA)

Members of the Mélomanie chamber ensemble talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and preparing his Sonatine en trio (1935) for performance, April 15, 2017

Steven Kruger, music critic (USA)

Arts critic Steven Kruger talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and its place in France’s “Golden Age” of classical music, September 4, 2017

Vincent Larderet, pianist (France)

French pianist Vincent Larderet talks about performing and recording the music of Florent Schmitt, December 10, 2014

César Leal, conductor and musicologist (Colombia/USA)

Musicologist and conductor César Leal talks about the impresario Gabriel Astruc and his consequential role in Parisian musical and artistic life in the early 1900s, October 8, 2019

Rick Leder trumpet

Rick Leder

Rick Leder, trumpeter (USA)

Voluptuous colors:  Florent Schmitt’s Suite for Trumpet (1955), February 2, 2014

Alain Lefèvre, pianist (Canada)

Pianist Alain Lefèvre reminisces about working with the great French violinist Christian Ferras, and together preparing Florent Schmitt’s Sonate libre (1918-19) for tour, November 1, 2018

Tomer Lev

Tomer Lev (Photo: ©Michael Pavia)

Tomer Lev, pianist and pedagogue (Israel)

Israeli pianist and pedagogue Tomer Lev talks about planning and producing the new NAXOS recording of Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy (1920) complete anthology, January 23, 2021

David Aprahamian Liddle, organist (UK)

The Composer and the Impresario: Florent Schmitt and Felix Aprahamian, July 28, 2014

Teresa Ling, violinist (USA)

Members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s Hasards (1943) for performance, May 5, 2015

Blair Lofgren cellist OSQ

Blair Lofgren

Blair Lofgren, cellist (Canada)

Members of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec talk about Florent Schmitt’s Ronde burlesque (1927) and explore the “secret sauce” of the composer’s orchestral writing, May 27, 2017

Oksana Lutsyshyn, pianist (Ukraine/USA) 

Duo-pianists Kasparov and Lutsyshyn talk about their new Florent Schmitt recording project, February 5, 2013

Teresa Majka-Pacanek Choral Director Poland

Teresa Majka-Pacanek

Teresa Majka-Pacanek, choral director (Poland)

French conductor Jean-Luc Tingaud, soprano Ewa Biegas and choral director Teresa Majka-Pacanek talk about the 2016 Polish premiere performances of Florent Schmitt’s choral masterpiece Psalm 47 (1904), February 25, 2016

Alain Margoni, composer, Prix de Rome winner, teacher and writer (France)

A link with history: French composer, teacher and writer Alain Margoni, 81, talks about working with Florent Schmitt in Paris during the 1950s, June 20, 2016

Julien Masmondet French conductor

Julien Masmondet

Julien Masmondet, conductor (France)

French conductor Julien Masmondet talks about performing and recording Florent Schmitt’s original 1907 version of the ballet La Tragédie de Salomé with the ensemble Les Apaches, April 17, 2023

Anna Mattix, English horn (USA)

Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015

Isaac Melamed cellist

Isaac Melamed

Isaac Melamed, cellist (USA)

Members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s Hasards (1943) for performance, May 5, 2015

Pere Méndez, saxophonist (Spain)

Members of the Kebyart Ensemble talk about Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Saxophones (1941) and its preeminent position in the saxophone repertoire, October 9, 2021

Aaron Merritt cellist

Aaron Merritt

Aaron Merritt, cellist (USA)

Experiencing Florent Schmitt’s Antony & Cleopatra (1920) and other orientalist masterpieces from France’s “Golden Age” of classical music live in concert: An eyewitness report from Paris, June 19, 2018

Jorge Mester conductor

Jorge Mester

Jorge Mester, conductor (Mexico/USA)

Conductors JoAnn Falletta and Jorge Mester talk about the music of Florent Schmitt, January 3, 2013

Daniel Miguel, saxophonist (Spain)

Members of the Kebyart Ensemble talk about Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Saxophones (1941) and its preeminent position in the saxophone repertoire, October 9, 2021

Douglas Murdoch, trombonist (UK/Germany)

Musicians of the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra talk about discovering Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Trombones and Tuba (1946) and preparing it for performance, April 1, 2021

Eliesha Nelson, violist (USA)

Musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and La Tragédie de Salomé, April 20, 2015

Alberto Nones

Alberto Nones

Alberto Nones, author and pianist (Italy)

Giuseppe Verdi and the nexus of music and politics: An interview with author Alberto Nones, August 9, 2014

In the cross-currents of history: An interview with musician and author Alberto Nones about the life and work of Italian composer Riccardo Zandonai, April 23, 2015

Bruno Osinski, tubaist (France/Germany)

Musicians of the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra talk about discovering Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Trombones and Tuba (1946) and preparing it for performance, April 1, 2021

Emmanuel Pélaprat, composer, arranger and keyboard artist (France)

Keyboard musician Emmanuel Pélaprat talks about Florent Schmitt’s Chant de guerre (1914) and preparing transcriptions for the Musiciens et la Grande Guerre series of recordings (Editions Hortus), April 6, 2019

Susan Platts

Susan Platts

Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano (Canada)

Conductor JoAnn Falletta and mezzo-soprano Susan Platts talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording (Musique sur l’eau – 1898/1913 and La Tragédie de Salomé – 1907/10), March 9, 2019

Janneke van Prooijen, violinist (Netherlands)

Just Announced: Prisma String Trio to make a new recording of Florent Schmitt’s extraordinary Trio a cordes (1944), June 8, 2020

Members of the Prisma String Trio talk about preparing, performing and recording Florent Schmitt’s endlessly fascinating Trio à cordes (1944), April 16, 2021

Gottfried Rabl

Gottfried Rabl

Gottfried Rabl, conductor (Austria)

Austrian conductor Gottfried Rabl talks about preparing and presenting the 2020 Romanian world premiere performance of Florent Schmitt’s blockbuster choral score Psalm 47 (1904), March 30, 2020

Alain Raës, pianist (France)

French pianist Tristan Raës talks about his musical journey with Florent Schmitt, and the pathfinding recording efforts of his father, Alain Raës, March 1, 2024

Osmo Tapio Raihala composer

Osmo Tapio Raihala

Osmo Tapio Räihälä, composer and music journalist (Finland)

Finnish composer and music journalist Osmo Tapio Räihälä shares his experience of visiting the gravesite of Florent Schmitt in Paris (November 2017), December 7, 2017.

Kimberly Reighley, flautist (USA)

Members of the Mélomanie chamber ensemble talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and preparing his Sonatine en trio (1935) for performance, April 15, 2017

Tracy Richardson, harpsichordist (USA)

Members of the Mélomanie chamber ensemble talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and preparing his Sonatine en trio (1935) for performance, April 15, 2017

Dr. Jerry E. Rife, musicologist and Professor of Music at Rider University

Dr. Jerry Rife

Jerry Rife, musicologist and author (USA)

Musicologist Dr. Jerry Rife talks about his introduction to Florent Schmitt’s music, October 13, 2012

Edward Rushton, pianist (UK/Switzerland)

Musicians Edward Rushton, Guillaume Le Dréau and JoAnn Falletta talk about Florent Schmitt’s captivating Chansons à quatre voix (1903-05), February 16, 2017

In Florent Schmitt’s 150th birthday anniversary year, a new recording featuring the composer’s vocal music is being prepared, December 3, 2019

Pianist Edward Rushton talks about exploring Florent Schmitt’s repertoire of vocal music, and preparing it for performance and recording, June 1, 2020

Tomoki Sakata pianist

Tomoki Sakata (Photo: ©Sebastiaan Bors)

Tomoki Sakata, pianist (Japan)

Pianist Tomoki Sakata talks about performing Florent Schmitt’s brilliant orchestral showpiece Symphonie concertante (1932) with Yan-Pascal Tortelier in Tokyo, June 15, 2023

Robert Seara, saxophonist (Spain)

Members of the Kebyart Ensemble talk about Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Saxophones (1941) and its preeminent position in the saxophone repertoire, October 9, 2021

Suddhaseel Sen, musicologist, author and teacher (India)

Musicologist Suddhaseel Sen talks about the artistry of Florent Schmitt and the importance of his orientalist compositions, August 15, 2017

Victor Serra saxophone

Victor Serra

Victor Serra, saxophonist (Spain)

Members of the Kebyart Ensemble talk about Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Saxophones (1941) and its preeminent position in the saxophone repertoire, October 9, 2021

Elisabeth Smalt, violist (Netherlands)

Members of the Prisma String Trio talk about preparing, performing and recording Florent Schmitt’s endlessly fascinating Trio à cordes (1944), April 16, 2021

Timothy Smith, BPO

Timothy Smith

Timothy Smith, trombonist (USA)

Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015

Nicolas Southon, musicologist and author (France)

Musicologist and author Nicolas Southon talks about his new book profiling orchestral works by 16 Francophone composers including Florent Schmitt, September 22, 2016

Audrey Stottler, soprano (USA)

Reminiscing with American soprano Audrey Stottler about presenting Florent Schmitt’s Psalm 47 (1904) at the Washington National Cathedral, February 1, 2018

Jean-Luc Tingaud French conductor

Jean-Luc Tingaud

Jean-Luc Tingaud, conductor (France)

Conductor Jean-Luc Tingaud talks about Florent Schmitt’s choral masterpiece Psalm 47 (1904) and introducing the music to concert audiences in Poland, February 6, 2016

French conductor Jean-Luc Tingaud, soprano Ewa Biegas and choral director Teresa Majka-Pacanek talk about the 2016 Polish premiere performances of Florent Schmitt’s choral masterpiece Psalm 47 (1904), February 25, 2016

Francesca Todesco

Francesca Todesco

Francesco Todesco, dancer and choreographer (USA)

Dancer and choreographer Francesca Todesco talks about resurrecting Isadora Duncan’s vision of Florent Schmitt’s Reflets d’Allemagne (1902-5) and presenting the premiere version of the full ballet in 2022, April 1, 2023.

Yan-Pascal Tortelier

Yan-Pascal Tortelier

Yan-Pascal Tortelier, conductor (France)

Conductor Yan-Pascal Tortelier talks about his Chandos Florent Schmitt recording of Psaume XLVII, La Tragédie de Salomé and Le Palais hanté, September 11, 2012

Scott Tucker, choral director (USA)

American choral director Scott Tucker talks about the connection between Gabriel Fauré, Lili Boulanger and Florent Schmitt — and presenting Schmitt’s Psaume XLVII in a concert showcasing the important choral legacy of all three composers, April 30, 2019

Danse des Devadasis (1908): Florent Schmitt’s masterful evocation of the temple dancers of South India, February 3, 2020

Korliss Uecker American soprano

Korliss Uecker

Korliss Uecker, soprano (USA)

American soprano Korliss Uecker talks about preparing and singing the solo soprano part in Florent Schmitt’s choral masterpiece Psalm 47 (1904), July 2, 2018

Biljana Urban, pianist (Netherlands)

Pianist Biljana Urban talks her new recording featuring world premiere renditions of works by Florent Schmitt, September 13, 2021

Corbin Wagner, French horn soloist and educator (USA)

Horn soloist Corbin Wagner talks about performing Lied et scherzo (1910), Florent Schmitt’s extraordinary double wind quintet composition featuring the French horn, November 26, 2016

Michiel Weidner, cellist (Netherlands)

Fascinating, complex sonorities: Florent Schmitt’s String Trio (1944), January 16, 2018

Members of the Prisma String Trio talk about preparing, performing and recording Florent Schmitt’s endlessly fascinating Trio à cordes (1944), April 16, 2021

John McLaughlin Williams

John McLaughlin Williams

John McLaughlin Williams, violinist and conductor (USA)

American violinist John McLaughlin Williams talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and the Sonate libre (1918/19), September 16, 2014

Musicians of the Scarab Club Chamber Music Series Talk About Preparing and Performing Florent Schmitt’s Quartet Pour presque tous les temps (1956), October 16, 2018

Violinist John McLaughlin Williams and pianist Matthew Bengtson talk about the challenges and rewards of performing Florent Schmitt’s Sonate libre (1918-19), October 26, 2022

Saul Davis Zlatkovski, harpist (USA)

Deux pièces (1911), Florent Schmitt’s strikingly original chromatic harp composition, gets a new lease on life, July 14, 2020

Martin Zuckschwerdt trombone

Martin Zuckschwerdt

Martin Zuckschwerdt, trombonist (Germany)

Musicians of the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra talk about discovering Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Trombones and Tuba (1946) and preparing it for performance, April 1, 2021