“This is a stunning album. If there is any justice, it will be the rope that finally hauls Schmitt out of the crevasse of obscurity.” — Andrew Palmer, Chimeo “This lovely release marks a major addition to the burgeoning Schmitt discography. The eclectic French composer’s reputation is in full renewal.” — Steven Kruger, Fanfare This […]
Tag Archives: BBC Philharmonic
Of the composers of France’s “Golden Age” covering the seven-decade period of music beginning in the 1880s, among the most important and influential were five composers born during the 1860s and 1870s – in order of birth Claude Debussy, Paul Dukas, Albert Roussel, Florent Schmitt and Maurice Ravel. Schmitt was the longest-lived of the five, […]
“Florent Schmitt’s music is very extravagant and complex, and he often wrote for immense forces — the Symphonie concertante being a prime example. Overall, the piece possesses a very powerful originality …” — Peter Donohoe, English pianist On October 30, 2025, English pianist Peter Donohoe joined the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor emeritus Yan […]
“I’d never before seen a score as mind-blowing as the Symphonie concertante …” — Yan Pascal Tortelier, Conductor Emeritus, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra In late October 2025, veteran director Yan Pascal Tortelier, joined by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra of which he is the conductor emeritus, as well as pianist Peter Donohoe, recorded a program for Chandos […]
“It is one of the most important recordings of my entire career.” — Yan Pascal Tortelier, French conductor In late October 2025, I had the privilege of being invited to Manchester, UK to observe the recording of a program of mid-career orchestral works by Florent Schmitt (composed between 1929 and 1938), featuring the BBC Philharmonic […]