“Florent Schmitt likes our imperfect planet”: Musicologist Nicolas Slonimsky writes about Schmitt’s artistry on the occasion of the composer’s only visit to America (1932).

“Florent Schmitt likes our imperfect planet; the planet reciprocates.” — Nicolas Slonimsky, musicologist, composer and conductor In 1932, French composer Florent Schmitt made his first and only journey to the United States. The reason for the trip was to perform as soloist in the composer’s own Symphonie concertante, Op. 82 for orchestra with piano, which […]

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 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Organ Music | tagged Alain Louvier, Charles Munch, Courrier Musical, David Eccott, Florent Schmitt, France Musicale, French Composers, French Music, Guillaume le Dreau, Jascha Heifetz, La Revue de France, La Revue Musicale, Le Temps, Marche Nuptiale, Music Criticism, Nicolas Slonimsky, Norman Demuth, Paris Conservatoire, Remy Campos, Rennes Cathedral, Revue Musicale, Schmitt, Virgil Thomson | 1 Comment

Guillaume Le Dréau is one of the most multi-faceted musicians I know. A keyboard artist, he is currently the organist at Rennes Cathedral in France — but this position represents only one aspect of his many musical activities. Not only does he play the organ and piano, he is a composer, an arranger, a teacher and a researcher. […]

Fonctionnaire MCMXII: Florent Schmitt versus French Civil Servants (1923)

March 4, 2013 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Uncategorized | tagged Charles Muller, Classical Music, Decaune, Emile Vuillermoz, Fabien Gabel, Florent Schmitt, Fonctionnaire, French Composers, James Lockhart, JoAnn Falletta, Leon Botstein, M. D. Calvocoressi, Marguerite Beriza, Nicolas Slonimsky, Nones, Paul Paray, Phillip Nones, Regis Gigoux, Robert Pizani, Schmitt, Stephane Deneve, Vincent Figuri, Yan-Pascal Tortelier | Leave a comment

Around the world today, the news is full of stories about bloated government bureaucracies and the inefficiencies of various public agencies. From France and Italy to the United States, there are persistent calls for governments to become leaner and more effective, beginning with eliminating “waste, fraud and abuse” from various agencies. But this isn’t a […]