“This musician of immensity and altitudes”: French music journalist and writer Paul Locard takes the measure of Florent Schmitt at eighty years of age (1950).

Several months ago, I published an article about an 80th birthday tribute event honoring Florent Schmitt that was organized in 1950 by the town of St-Cloud, where the composer had lived for 40+ years. The festivities included a gala reception and concert featuring recent compositions created by Schmitt, presented by leading French classical musicians. Not […]

French pianist Clément Canonne talks about discovering and recording the late-career solo piano compositions of Florent Schmitt.

His soon-to-be-released album includes two premiere recordings plus an unpublished 1950 piano sonata that later became the wind composition Chants alizés. A new recording of piano works by Florent Schmitt is scheduled for release in late 2024 – one that’s particularly important in that its focus will be on late-career compositions that have never been […]

Scènes de la vie moyenne (1950): Florent Schmitt’s late-career work for orchestra.

During the latter years of Florent Schmitt’s long and illustrious career, the composer turned his creative talents increasingly toward music for scored small instrumental forces.  Among the notable achievements of this late creative period are the fascinating (and challenging) String Trio (1944) and String Quartet (1948), as well as a group of compositions that showcase […]