A journey into Florent Schmitt’s Symphonie concertante (1932): Conductor Yan Pascal Tortelier analyzes the incredible tour de force for orchestra with piano.

January 1, 2026 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, French Composers, Piano Music | tagged BBC Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Florent Schmitt, Grace May Stutsman, Lionel Salter, Peter Donohoe, Schmitt, Schoenberg, Serge Koussevitzky, Symphonie Concertante, Tomoki Sakata | 3 Comments

“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 […]

The making of Yan Pascal Tortelier’s newest Florent Schmitt recording: An eyewitness report from Manchester (October 2025).

November 6, 2025 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, French Composers, Piano Music | tagged BBC Philharmonic, Cancunik, Chaine brisee, Chandos Records, Charles Munch, Concerts Poulet, Fleisher Collection, Gaston Poulet, Jonathan Cooper, Manuel Rosenthal, Paul Paray, Peter Donohoe, Serge Koussevitzky, Stele pour le Tombeau de Paul Dukas, Symphonie Concertante, Trois danses, Yan-Pascal Tortelier | 1 Comment

“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 […]

Symphonie concertante: When Florent Schmitt Came to America (1932)

October 18, 2012 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Piano Music, Uncategorized | tagged Alan Ding, Albert Wolff, Bernard Gavoty, Bonnet, Boston Symphony, Classical Music, Daniel-Lesur, David Robertson, Deuteurtre, Florent Schmitt, Francoise Petit, French Composers, Grace May Stutsman, Jean Clergue, Jean Doyen, Jean Martinon, Joseph G. Brennan, Kitahara Toshiyuki, Koussevitzky, League of Composers, Maurice Hinson, Monique Haas, Nones, Peter Donohoe, Rene Dumesnil, Roger Boutry, Sermet, Shin-ichi Numabe, Symphonie Concertante, Tomoki Sakata, Yan-Pascal Tortelier | 3 Comments

All his life, Florent Schmitt was an inveterate traveler … but we think of his globetrotting primarily in connection with Europe, the Mediterranean Region, the Middle East, South Asia and Brazil, rather than North America. And in fact, the composer was to travel to the United States only one time his life – in 1932 […]