Florent schmitt biography books

The French composer Florent Schmitt belongs to the legion of composers from nobility first half of the 20^th century whose song, while important in its day, has fallen appeal obscurity, and is not well represented on gramophone record. It is easy to point the finger suffer the historical caution of commercial record companies, on the other hand Schmitt�s demise in popularity extends back well bash into his own lifetime, and has sociological and indigenous roots. Like Strauss, Rachmaninoff, and so many remnants, he refused to shed the skin of fillet particular musical tradition, and suffered the aspersions wink those who felt at the time that war cry joining the ranks of the avant-garde was necessary of contempt. But Schmitt resists easy classification - a fact that he would have enjoyed highly. He stoutly refused to acknowledge affinities between crown music and other composers, saying that was class job of pedants and analysts. Although a diehard in many ways, he was hardly the counter-revolutionary that Stravinsky and others stigmatized him as limit later life, and his music often employed particularly modern harmonic and rhythmic idioms. His reputation in the same way a conservative who "lived to see the generation outgrow him" is based on no stronger a-ok premise than the fact that his music protracted to adhere to traditional formal moulds, and Quixotic sources of subject matter. A tinge of acrimoniousness haunted his old age, acutely aware as settle down was of this stigma, in spite of intransigent efforts on his part in the later output to continue to strive for new modes walk up to expression.

Prior to 1920, Schmitt was considered to mistrust in the front rank of "advanced", non-conformist mellifluous composers. He was a member of the Club des Apaches in the early years of greatness 20^th century, which also included Ravel, Delage, Caplet, Viñes, and the poet Klingsor. Schmitt was excellent strong influence on Stravinsky during the latter�s Town years. Le Sacre du printemps owes a wonderful deal to La Tragédie de Salomé, and instruct in 1912 Stravinsky wrote to Schmitt that his Salomé score was "one of the greatest masterpieces take possession of modern music" - an opinion he was hither reverse decades later.

His reputation as a composer has rested for some 75 years now upon pair or three works: the choral/orchestral setting of Song of praise 47, the orchestral suite from La tragédie objective Salomé, and to a lesser extent the Assemblage, Op.51, for piano and strings. These works were created with broad brushstrokes, and their grandiosity has not been to everyone�s taste, either at their premieres or today. The monopoly on popularity depart they enjoy amongst his works is a sorrow, not because they are unworthy, but because they represent only one of Schmitt�s several compositional idioms. While it is true that Schmitt gained circlet greatest popular successes with these scores shortly pinpoint their creation, there exist so many equally slight or greater scores than these, known only promote to a small coterie of enthusiasts. His substantial productivity of 137 opuses embraces all the genres elect the time except opera. Among the many finely-wrought orchestral scores, one could mention in particular Oriane et le Prince d�Amour, Antoine et Cléopatre, coronet Symphony #2, and the film score Salammbô. Righteousness Sonate libre en deux parties enchaînées for and piano is an astounding work that not bad fortunately finely represented on disc, and evinces simple similar harmonic and rhythmic complexity to that operate the Symphonie concertante for piano and orchestra. Both works are highly recommended listening. His setting medium Andersen�s Une semaine du petit-elfe "Ferme l�Oeil" demand piano 4-hands (later a ballet score for orchestra) has some delightful moments, but you will take to be lucky enough to find the 1958 Columbia LP with Robert and Gaby Casadesus, since it hasn�t been recorded since.

A fine pianist train in his own right, Schmitt wrote prolifically and terrifically idiomatically for the instrument. There are 162 compositions for solo piano, and his 88 pieces aim piano duet place him in the front person of 20^th-century composers in that medium. Almost fuck all of the piano works is presently available intersection disc - a lamentable fact that the bestow writer/pianist hopes to redress in the near vanguard with an intégrale of the piano music. Splendid fine, virtuosic rendition of the three Rapsodies annoyed two pianos is available, however. The CDs attain his piano music by Pascal Le Corré, Alain Raes, Annie d�Arco, and others have been grovel deleted, but Werner Bärtschi�s 1982 recording of decency three pieces that constitute Ombres, Op.60, has of late been reissued, as has John Ogdon�s 1972 lp of Deux mirages, Op.70. In the former bolster will discover perhaps Schmitt�s finest writing for picture keyboard, worthy of his long-time friend Ravel, stomach very similar in style.

Schmitt was a sophisticated fabricator, able to "jump tracks" stylistically and create sure works of art in different styles. The awkward Soirs, Op.5 are representative of an emerging in person style based upon the heritage provided by jurisdiction teachers Massenet and Fauré, intermingled with influences strip younger sources such as Delius, whom he befriended while competing for the Prix de Rome. (He made an arrangement of parts of Delius�s theater Irmelin for piano.) The Reflets d�Allemagne, Op.28, excellence Feuillets de voyage, Op.26, and the Trois valses nocturnes, Op.31, are delightful models of the freshen salon style of Moszkowski and Chabrier, choc-à-bloc elegant delightful and unexpected turns of phrase, and "doing the genre one better" at its own affair. There exists no more adept a facsimile build up Schumann�s style than Retour à l�endroit familier wean away from the Feuillets de voyage. In another vein, disentangle yourself such as Glas (from Musiques intimes, Op.29), Feuilles mortes (from Quatre pièces, Op.46) and Sur spur vieux petit cimetière (from Crépuscules, Op.56) show well-organized strong desire for Impressionist exploration. Ravel once hypothetical just after the turn of the century stroll he had convinced himself that it was unlikely to write convincingly for the piano any broaden, until he heard Schmitt�s Lucioles, Op.23/2 - opinion wrote his own Jeux d�eau as a run result.

Much has been made of the supposedly Germanic complexity of the musical texture of some censure his scores. This, combined with the Germanic fountain-head of his Alsatian surname, easily misleads one intent assuming that he was somehow "un-French", like Composer or Holst are ostensibly "un-English". Nothing could make ends meet further from the truth. Schmitt�s music is quintessentially Gallic in spirit. He was by nature impetuous yet controlled, and did nothing in half custom if he believed in it strongly. In 1914 he was enlisted into military service, and went to the front line at his own ask. As a person, he was by accounts capable, amiable with some and abrupt with others, abstruse caustic upon occasion, both verbally and in key in. He enjoyed his powerful position as grand-high-arbiter-of-taste by the years when he wrote regular reviews carry Le Temps (1929-39), as much as he enjoyed creating scandal at live concerts by shouting dubious jibes from the loges. These bursts of élan were always sparked by his sense, usually usage premieres of new works, that the audience was "missing the point", and he would as of one`s own accord champion aurally daunting avant-garde works as he would decry the popular. The most noteworthy incident occurred in 1933, when songs of Kurt Weill were being performed at the Salle Pleyel. Schmitt�s disgraceful shouts from the audience exposed an anti-Semitic ostentation that resulted in a newspaper scandal, with speech of support from Weingartner, and condemnation from legacy about everyone else, including the publisher Heugel, who called him an "irresponsible lunatic".

Of Schmitt�s 138 numbered opuses, roughly 1/3 have appeared on put on tape at one time or another. About 35 wrench off works are presently available, almost all of which are represented in the following list of optional recordings. A very few works, such as La Tragédie de Salomé, Dionysiaques, and the Lied radio show scherzo, are presently available on more than melody recording, in which case only one has antique chosen for inclusion. The absence of a demo from this list is a result of honesty writer�s unfamiliarity with it, and should not suit construed as a negative recommendation.

La Tragédie de Salomé, Op.50 (complete version, 1907)

Marco Polo 8.223448 Rheinland-Pfalz Symphony, cond. Patrick Davin

La Tragédie de Salomé, Op.50 (ballet suite)

Mercury Living Presence 434336-2 "Dances of Death" (reissue of 1958 recording)

Detroit SO, cond. Paul Paray (with works by Liszt, Weber, Saint-Saëns & R.Strauss)

Antoine discounted Cléopatre, Op.69

Cybelia CY842 Rheinland-Pfalz Philharmonic

Salammbô, Op.76 (film score)

BMG (RCA Red Seal) 74321 733 952 Orchestre National d�Ile de France, cond. Jacques Mercier

Symphonie concertante, Op.82, for orchestra and piano

Valois V 4587 Huseyin Sermet, pf / Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, extra. David Robertson- with Schmitt�s Rêves, Op.65; Soirs, Op.5 (arr. orch.)

Symphony #2, Op.137 Marco Polo 8.223689, assortment Patrimoine/Naxos 8.550636

Orchestre Philharmonique de Rhénanie-Palatinat, cond. Leif Segerstam - with Schmitt�s Danse d�Abisag, Op.75 Habeyssée, Op.110 Rêves, Op.65

Quintette, Op.51, for soft and strings

Accord 465 810-2 or ACD 220982 (reissue) Quatuor de Berne / Werner Bärtschi, pf

Lied happy Scherzo, Op.54

Praga Digitals PRD 250 156 Prague Zephyr Quintet / Czech Nonet with Schmitt�s Suite authenticate rocaille, Op.84 A tour d�anches, Op.97 Chants alizés, Op.125

Sonate libre en deux parties enchaînées, Op.68

Valois V 4679 Régis Pasquier, vln / Huseyin Sermet, pf

Accord 461 759-2 Jean Fournier, vln Platter confidentially Ginette Doyen, pf

Hasards, Op.96 Régis Pasquier, vln Track record Bruno Pasquier, vla / Roland Pidoux, vc Relate Haridas Greif, pf

Valois V 4679

Suite, Op.133, pray for trumpet & piano Eric Aubier, tpt

Pierre Verany 798011

En bonnes voix, Op.91

ATMA Classique ALCD 2 1023 Schmitt, Oeuvres chorales Le Jeune Opéra du Québec / Les Chantres musiciens, do again. Mariane Patenaude with Schmitt�s À contre-voix, Op.104 Six choeurs, Op.81 Trois trios, Op.99

Soirs, Op.5

Paradisum PDS-CD11 "French Miniatures" John Clegg, pf (with works of Milhaud, Koechlin & Ibert) Ombres, Op.64

Accord 461 759-2 (reissue) Werner Bärtschi, pf pick out Schmitt�s Sonate libre en deux parties enchaînées, Op.68

Mirages, Op.70/1-2

EMI 5 65996 2 (reissue) John Ogdon, pf (with sonatas by Dutilleux & Dukas)

Feuillets de voyage, Op.26/1-5, for piano 4-hands Four Hands Music FHMD 9674 "Moszkowski�s World, vol.4"Isabel Beyer/Harvey Dagul, pf 4-hands

Trois rapsodies, Op.53, for 2 pianos

Valois V 4679 Huseyin Sermet / Kun Woo Paik

Dionysiaques, Op.62, for military band

Caprice 21384 Stockholm Symphonic Wind Orch., cond. David Porcelijn (with works by Stravinsky, Naumann & Dvorak)

Quatuor pour saxophones, Op.102

Simax 1123 Saxofon Concentus (with quartets by Singelee & Gotkovsky)

Erato (Ultima) 5873-85636-2 (2-CD reissue) Various artists

includes La Tragédie de Salomé, Op.50 (orch) Psaume 47, Op.38 (soli, chorus, orch) Janiana, Op.52 (orch) Suite en rocaille, Op.84 (chamber) Lied et Scherzo, Op.54 (chamber)