French-American conductor David Grandis talks about discovering the music of French composer Max d’Ollone and championing his repertoire in the concert hall.

Regular readers of the Florent Schmitt Website + Blog know that occasionally we “relax the routine” a bit and delve into the artistry of other composers — particularly ones who lived and worked in the same time period as Schmitt. (See, for example, these articles about Stravinsky, Ravel, Falla and Zandonai.) Another such person is […]

Florent Schmitt and the Prix de Rome: 1900-1904 (Musiques de plein air; Le Palais hanté; Psaume XLVII)

July 19, 2015 · by Phillip Nones | in Choral Music, Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Vocal Music | tagged Arthur Pougin, Camille Saint-Saens, Claude Debussy, Conservatoire, Emile Vuillermoz, Ernest Chausson, Florent Schmitt, French Composers, Gabriel Faure, Georges Pretre, Henri Tomasi, INA, Inghelbrecht, JoAnn Falletta, Le Palais Hante, Louis Hasselmans, Maurice Ravel, Musique de plein air, ORTF, Paris Conservatoire, Paul Taffanel, Prix de Rome, Psalm XLVII, Psaume XLVII, Schmitt, Semiramis, Steven Kruger, T. J. Gueritte, The Haunted Palace, Villa Medici | Leave a comment

In the century-long period from 1850 to 1950, the Prix de Rome prize for composition was probably the single most important and prestigious recognition for any French composer. And for that reason, nearly every important French composer strove to win it. Offered to students at the Paris Conservatoire, winners of the award were rewarded with a handsome stipend, along with a multi-year stay […]

Florent Schmitt’s early art songs: A trove of treasures awaits rediscovery.

June 29, 2015 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Vocal Music | tagged Albert Samain, Amy Lowell, Camille Mauclair, Camille Saint-Saens, Claire Croiza, Desire Inghelbrecht, Florent Schmitt, French Composers, French National Radio Orchestra, Gabrie Faure, Gauthier-Villars, INA, INA Archives, Jean Cras, Musique sur l'eau, ORTF, Paul Verlaine, Philippe Jaroussky, Regine Crespin, Robert de Montesquiou, Schmitt, Symbolist Poets, Symbolist Writers, Theodore Aubanel, Yolanda Marcoulescou | 4 Comments

Recently, the INA archives (French National Radio and Television) has begun offering for download a memorial concert held in honor of Florent Schmitt. The concert, which was broadcast in October 1958 two months following the composer’s death, has never been made available since its initial airing until now. The memorial program featured five works by Schmitt including […]