Members of the Mélomanie chamber ensemble talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and preparing his Sonatine en trio (1936) for performance.

In April 2017, the Delaware-based chamber group Mélomanie presented Florent Schmitt’s Sonatine en trio, Opus 85, an intimate and engaging piece for flute, clarinet and harpsichord the composer created in 1936. The Schmitt Sonatine was part of a fascinating program that featured seven works stretching from the 1600s (Marin Marais) through to contemporary pieces by Nicolas Bacri, Shulamit […]

A Rare Live Interview with French Composer Florent Schmitt at the Jeunesses Musicales de France (1957)

January 18, 2016 · by Phillip Nones | in Classical Music, Composers, French Composers | tagged Bernard Gavoty, Fabien Gabel, Faure, Florent Schmitt, Jeunesses Musicales de France, JM France, Nicolas Southon, Poulenc, Reirha Khalfoun-Mesloub, Schmitt, Stravinsky | Leave a comment

Cliquez ici pour écouter l’interview de Schmitt/Gavoty sur YouTube. For devotees of the Florent Schmitt Website + Blog, we are pleased to provide a link to a rare taped interview of the composer, done on February 20, 1957 when Schmitt was 86 years old. The interview was conducted at the Jeunesses Musicales de France by Bernard […]

L’Eventail de Jeanne: When Florent Schmitt teamed up with his compatriots to create an “omnibus” ballet (1927).

October 20, 2013 · by Phillip Nones | in Ballet, Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Piano Four-Hand Music, Piano Music | tagged Auric, Bellini, Chopin, Florent Schmitt, Geoffrey Simon, Hexameron, Jeanne Dubost, Jeanne's Fan, John Axelrod, L'Eventail de Jeanne, Liszt, Milhaud, Orchetsre National des Pays de la Loire, Paul Paray, Pauline Viardot, Philharmonia Orchestra, Pierre Stoll, Poulenc, Ravel, Roussel, Schmitt, Tamara Toumanova, Thalberg, Winnaretta Singer | Leave a comment

Throughout classical music history, “omnibus” compositions have been rather rare – and for the most part, they’ve been forgotten shortly after their celebrated premieres. Perhaps the earliest one of these interesting concoctions that has at least remained on the fringes of the repertoire is Hexameron — a morceau de concert put together in the late […]