Dancing Demons and Underwater Airplanes: Florent Schmitt’s Phantasmagorical Ronde burlesque (1927)

August 11, 2015 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers | tagged Alfred Hertz, Cybelia, Edwin Evans, Emile Vuillermoz, Fabien Gabel, Fermand Quiinet, Florent Schmitt, Gaston Poulet, Henri Tomasi, Henry Prunieres, Lionel Salter, Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, Petros Petridis, Pierre Stoll, Ronde burlesque, Schmitt, Serge Koussevitzky, Symphonie Concertante | 2 Comments

Within the catalogue of Florent Schmitt’s compositions are a goodly number of brilliant orchestral showpieces that exploit the colors of the orchestra to the fullest degree. One of the most interesting and effective of these also happens to be one of the shortest — the Ronde burlesque, Opus 78. This piece was composed in 1927 during a time […]

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, Beryl Rubinstein, Camille Chevillard, Casadesus, Charles Burr, Classical Music, Dr. William Mason, Emil Oberhoffer, Florent Schmitt, Forgotten Records, Francaise, Frank Cooper, French Composers, Gaby Casadesus, Georges Longy, Gunnar Johansen, Igor Kipnis, Invencia Piano Duo, Jacques Lacombe, Jacques Mercier, JoAnn Falletta, Josef Stransky, Leopold Stokowski, Les Apaches, Leslie De'Ath, Lionel Bringuier, Martin Marks, Marvine Maazel, Nathaniel Shilkret, Nones, Orchestre Lamoureux, Paul Paray, Piano Duo, Piano Music, Polonaise, Rhapsodie Parisienne, Schmitt, Stephane Deneve, Trois Rapsodies, Viennoise | 2 Comments

One of the most satisfying of Florent Schmitt’s extensive trove of music for piano duet and duo – and the one that is my personal favorite of all of them – is Trois Rapsodies, Op. 53, a work he composed in 1903-4. Made up of three movements titled Française, Polonaise and Viennoise, it is a work that fully engages […]

Florent Schmitt’s Mirages: Poignant and Potent Musical Pictures Inspired by Paul Fort and Lord Byron (1920-23)

January 14, 2013 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Piano Music | tagged Alfred Cortot, Alfred Hertz, Andrey Kasparov, Annie d'Arco, Bennett Lerner, Classical Music, Claude Debussy, Defauw, Ferroud, Florent Schmitt, Francois-Julien Brun, French Composers, French Impressionism, Impressionism in Music, Jacques Mercier, John Ogdon, Jorge Mester, Koussevitzky, Laurent Wagschal, Lord Byron, Marie-Catherine Girod, Michel Plasson, Mirages, Nones, Pascal le Corre, Paul Fort, Pauline Gordon, Pierre Dervaux, Tomer Lev, Vincent Larderet, Winston Choi | 5 Comments

One of the highly interesting compositions by Florent Schmitt is Mirages, Op. 70. This work exists in two versions: its original piano form composed in 1920/21, and a later orchestration prepared by the composer in 1923 and premiered in 1924 by Schmitt’s friend, the conductor Serge Koussevitzky. I find Mirages to be one of Schmitt’s most compelling […]