Experiencing Florent Schmitt’s imposing Piano Quintet (1902-08) in concert: An eyewitness report from Tokyo (April 30, 2026).

May 5, 2026 · by Phillip Nones | in Chamber Music, French Composers | tagged Florent Schmitt, Gabriel Faure, Jean Hure, Kaikhosru Sorabji, Mari Endo, Mario Ishiguro, Nao Tohara, Piano Quintet, Schmitt, Tetsuo Tsushima, Tomoki Sakata, Toppan Hall, Yan-Pascal Tortelier, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Yomikyo Ensemble, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra | 1 Comment

Live concert performances of Florent Schmitt’s monumental Piano Quintet, Op. 51 (1902-08) may be an uncommon occurrence, but they’re always a cause for celebration. The most recent presentation of this stunning product of France’s “Golden Age” of music occurred at Toppan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on April 30, 2026. The performance featured pianist Tomoki Sakata joined by […]

Florent Schmitt’s Intense, Monumental Piano Quintet (1902-08)

March 31, 2013 · by Phillip Nones | in Chamber Music, Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Uncategorized | tagged Albert Groz, Alfred Metzger, Bartschi, Berne Philharmoniic String Quartet, Berne Quartet, Calvet Quartet, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Colorado Quartet, Denis Pascal, E. Robert Schmitz, Egon Petri, Emanuel Moor, Eureka Quartet, Eva Stegeman, Evelyn Swarthout, Florent Schmitt, Francoise Doreau, French Composers, Heleen Hulst, Hortus Ensemble, Hortus Festival, Ivaldi, Jan Insinger, Jean Doyen, Jean Hubeau, Jellantsje de Vries, Julian Haylock, Kaikhosru Sorabji, Kathleen Long, Kit Armstrong, Leslie Wright, Loewenguth Quartet, Maarten van Veen, Mari Iwamoto String Quartet, Melvin Chen, Mosashi Ishikawa, Music Group of London, Nones, Olin Downes, Pascal le Corre, Paul Hume, Paul Landormy, Piano Quintet, Quatuor Anton, Quatuor Arcana, Quatuor Margand, Quintet, Romain Rolland, Rudolph Reuter, Schmitt, Solisten-Ensemble Berlin, Stanislas Quartet, Tomoki Sakata, Wollenweber, Yomikyo Ensemble | 8 Comments

The catalog of music composed by Florent Schmitt contains numerous chamber works. Among them are three large-scale compositions for string ensemble: the Trio, Op. 105, the Quartet, Op. 112, and the Piano Quintet, Op. 51. The Piano Quintet was the first of these three pieces to be created; Schmitt worked on the score for six […]

Hasards: A Quartet that Illustrates Florent Schmitt’s Highly Interesting Chamber Music Style (1943)

March 10, 2013 · by Phillip Nones | in Chamber Music, Classical Music, Composers, French Composers, Uncategorized | tagged Aline van Barentzen, Ames Piano Quartet, Andre Dumortier, Andrew Thomson, Belgian Quartet of London, Caby Casadesus, Chamber Music, Classical Music, Debussy, Domus String Quartet, Ensemble Marie-Therese Ibos, Faure, Florent Schmitt, French Composers, Hasards, Julian Haylock, Marie-Therese Ibos, Maurice Raskin, Monique Mercier, Nones, Pasquier, Ravel, Ropartz, Schmitt, Tarihere Quartet, Tomoki Sakata, Yomikyo Ensemble | 4 Comments

The chamber music pieces of Florent Schmitt are quite interesting and varied. Among them are wonderfully intimate works such as the Sonatine en Trio from 1934 which have a flavor somewhat similar to the chamber works of Schmitt’s compatriots Debussy and Ravel. But there are numerous other Schmitt compositions for chamber players that inhabit a different sound-world – more full-bodied and containing surprising […]