Florent Schmitt(1870-1958)

[snyprrr]

Piano Quintet Op.51: Bern SQ/Bartschi (Accord/OOP)



Absolutely great music!! I just went on about it in the Piano Quintets Thread, but, judging by the dearth of posts here, IT MUST BE!

This piece has all the hallmarks of other, sprawling masterpieces, written @1906. I'll be honest, this sounds like the kind of piece that could sound absolutely terrible in the hands of a bad bunch of players, so Fauresque is it, with flickering changes of mood and capricious forays. As I said before, Schmitt is evocative without sounding exotic, a very strange effect for music which on the surface 'sounds' normal.

The Bern SQ I have grown to trust through recordings of Reger, Lachenmann, and Terzakis. Especially in the Reger (duh! ), they show themselves to be expert technicians, along with being incredibly passionate performers. Here, they ooze and dribble like molasses, with deliciously thick tone. In other places, they exude a Gallic Heroicism, pointing up the question of whether it's the music, or the performance (I'm going to say that this is Great Music (and a Great Performance)). The pianist, Walter Bartschi (of ECM fame), plays this potential trainwreck of notes as if fairies are dancing on fountains. The whole team's integration also is a source of wonder.

The only real complaint about this (at this point, Historic) recording, is the recording itself. On the plus side, the pale, moonlight, and slightly opaque recording helps to illustrate the EA Poe-like, macabre quality of the music. On the minus side, I might use the word 'serviceable'. It is by no means audiophile, but, it captures a great performance, without any real peaking, though, sometimes in massed climaxes, there may be a bit of 'clotting', or, that little certain something that you just don't want, haha. There, how's that for tech jargon?

The only compare is a cd on Timpani, with the Stanislas SQ (I think), which seems to have disappeared from Amazon recently. Even so, this performance has a perfumed authority to it that are compelling. There is also a recording of the composer himself (EMI), but this is only the slow mvmt.



So, back to the music. Schmitt likes the tinkling piano octaves, which are used to great clocklike effect in the slow mvmt. Also, Schmitt's lyricism never goes 'Hollywood', which, I think, is important to state, because this IS the kind of music that in lesser hands (composer-wise) might have ended up that way. Whereas Bloch practically invented the 'Biblical" sound, Schmitt here has invented a very very beautifully compelling fin de siecle air, without being morbid (on the way to the graveyard, so to speak). Of course, this fetid air really IS there, it's just hidden very well,... kind of like Dorian Gray!

If one looks at Schmitt's opus #s, one sees all his well known masterpieces clustered around these three pieces (this, and the Psalm&TS). Still, I'd love to hear his Late SQ. Either way, this Piano Quintet is in the Top3, if not the GrandPrizeWinner altogether.

Can I get a witness?

[The new erato]

Piano Quintet Op.51: Bern SQ/Bartschi (Accord/OOP)

Can I get a witness?

In the Piston thread you wrote:

I mean, what PQ 20th century masterpieces are there after Shosty and Bloch and Martinu?

To which I responded:

And Florent Schmitt.

What more do you want?

[Sergeant Rock]

Piano Quintet Op.51...Can I get a witness?

Not yet...I haven't heard it. But I liked the clips I've listened to and have ordered it. Maybe in a few days, you, Erato and I can hold a revival meeting 

Sarge

[Daverz]

High Def Tape Transfers are now offering the Martinon recordings of Psalm 47 and La Tragedie de Salome as a 24/196 download.  24/196 seems excesive for this material, though.  You can buy the works separately.

http://www.highdeftapetransfers.com/category/197/Florent-Schmitt-Psalm-47-and-La-Tragedie-De-Salome

Actually, I think I may prefer my lowly Angel Lp.

[RJR]

Give Déodat de Séverac's piano music a spin while you're at it.

[schweitzeralan]

Surely somebody else likes Schmitt's music??

Excellent composer  I have several recordings orchestral and instrumental.  I'm trying to procure his orchestral work 'Antonine ET Cleopatre."  There is an available recording at amazon and at ArkiveMusic.  The costs are quite prohibitive for now.  I heard tidbits on Youtube.  My guess is that the work is quite similar to the impressionistic, atmospheric French style of the early 20th century.  Just a guess.  Hopefully more recordings will become available.

[jowcol]

High Def Tape Transfers are now offering the Martinon recordings of Psalm 47 and La Tragedie de Salome as a 24/196 download.  24/196 seems excesive for this material, though.  You can buy the works separately.

http://www.highdeftapetransfers.com/category/197/Florent-Schmitt-Psalm-47-and-La-Tragedie-De-Salome

Actually, I think I may prefer my lowly Angel Lp.

Not sure if I'll upgrade, but I adored the vinyl version of the Martinon-- that was the album that got me into Schmitts

[Daverz]

Not sure if I'll upgrade, but I adored the vinyl version of the Martinon-- that was the album that got me into Schmitts

I didn't care for their transfer (from tape, apparently).  It could be because my Squeezebox Touch downsamples 196kHz files.  I tried downsampling the FLAC "manually" with Sox, with no better results.     

[Mirror Image]

Surely somebody else likes Schmitt's music??

Consider me a fan of Schmitt's music what little of it I have heard. I bought Tortelier's new recording with the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra and I've already listened to it twice. La Tragedie de Salome and Psalm 47 are absolutely amazing works. I feel bad that I've waited this long to listen to Schmitt as, like Johan mentioned, was just a name that I've encountered in various articles and books. I'm glad I finally took the plunge.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I'm glad I finally took the plunge.

I think I'll re-plunge soon.

[jowcol]

Consider me a fan of Schmitt's music what little of it I have heard. I bought Tortelier's new recording with the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra and I've already listened to it twice. La Tragedie de Salome and Psalm 47 are absolutely amazing works. I feel bad that I've waited this long to listen to Schmitt as, like Johan mentioned, was just a name that I've encountered in various articles and books. I'm glad I finally took the plunge.

Have you heard the full length Ballet of the Tragedy of Salome? 
http://www.amazon.com/Florent-Schmitt-Complete-Rheinland-Pfalz-Philharmonic/dp/B0000045YK
It's quite enjoyable.  As I recall, there wasn't anything there that I had wished was included into the suite but wasnt, but it's a lovely work and nice to hear in a different context.

Sadly, a lot of his work is now Out of Print (OOP).

If you are willing to attempt a download through a free file sharing service and dodge requests for a Russian Mail order bride, I've posted a couple Out of print items from his catalogue. NOTE:  PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF ANY OF THESE ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN NEW FORM, AND I'LL YANK THE LINK.  If the links are no longer working (I can't check from where I am right now), let me know, and I'll see about getting them back up, assuming, once again, that these are OOP.  When I originaily uploaded them, I could not find them on Archiv Music or Amazon.

###############################################

This is a rip of an out-of-print CD of Florent Schmitt Piano works
with Pascal Le Corre performing.

Date of Release:  Late 80s/early 90s?

Label/Catalog Number:  Cybelia/809

Artist: Pascal Le Corre

Format/Bit Rate:  mp3/224 kps

Tracks:
1.       Pieces Romantiques
2.      Troise Valses Nocturnes
3.      Mirages

Download URL: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5BAYAEFC

A review of the album is here:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/March%25201987/91/815840/&usg=AFQjCNHIstOixAFyNbf-z0zXkMOemD7m8Q



Comments:   To be honest, I didn't think that
Schmitt succeeded in coming up with a definitive piano sound like
Debussy, Ravel or Koechlin, but I need to get this another listen, and
thought you all may wish to as well.


###########################################################

   
      
Florent Schmitt: Orchestral Works  Cybelia/816

This is a rip of an out-of-print CD featuring some of Schmitt's lesser
known works.  Although they may not reach the heights of the "Tragedy
of Salome", there is some very enjoyable 20th century orchestral
music  to be had.

Date of Release:  1986 (?)

Label/Catalog Number:  Cybelia/816

Orchestra:  Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Conducted by Pierre
Stoll

Format/Bit Rate:  mp3/224 kps

Extraction:  From CD by Exact Audio Copy- Encoded by Lame MP3
encoder.  Tags edited with MP3 Tag.

Tracks:
1.       Oriane et le Prince d'Amour Ballet Suite
2.      In Memoriam
3.      Ronde Burlesque
4.      Legende Pour Alto et Orchestre

Download URL: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1XESLD0Z

Comments:

I've found an old review of this disc online from Gramophone
Magazine , and I'll reproduce it below.
<snip>
SCHMITT. ORCHESTRAL WORKS. Rhineland Palatinate State Philharmonic
Orchestra I Pierre Stoll. Cybelia/D Sharpe CY684.

Oriane et le prince d'amour—ballet suite. In memoriam. Ronde
burlesque.

The name of Florent Schmitt surfaces but infrequently on records
issued in this country: when it has done so, it has nearly always been
with one of his early works, (The only exceptions have been the string
Janiana and the vivacious sextet for clarinets composed at the age of
82.) Ignorance of his output after his famous dance-drama La tragêdie
de Salome (1907) is widespread; so we should thank Pierre Stoll for
his enterprise in recording—for the first time, unless I am mistaken—
three works Schmitt wrote in his late fifties and middle sixties.

The earliest here, and perhaps the best, is the Ronde burlesque
(1927), which may indeed be, by its title and the composer's own
comment on it, a Satie-esque legpull, but sounds more like
Vuillermoz's suggestion (quoted in the score) of the medieval Dance of
Death. Grotesque rather than burlesque, in fact: its febrile gaiety,
grimacing gestures and sardonic mockery are, to my ear, distinctly
sinister. In memoriam is a somewhat unbalanced juxtaposition of a
long, often beautiful, threnody (Cippus feralis), evoking an austere
antique atmosphere, which rises to a powerful climax, and a short,
noisy and dissonant scherzo on the 'musical letters' of his former
teacher Faure's name, which is in fact a rather awkward orchestration
of a piano piece composed 15 years earlier. The most substantial work
' here is the "suite" (can one movement constitute a suite?) from the
'choreographic tragedy' Oriane and the prince of love (originally
Oriane the peerless), written in 1934 for Ida Rubinstein. The story,
centring on a sixteenth-century insatiable and cruel beauty in Avignon
and her eventual violent end, offered Schmitt plentiful opportunities
to indulge his taste for mysterious atmosphere, voluptuous orchestral
colour and barbaric splendour. Like much of his music, its texture is
somewhat over-ripe, and the 20-minute movement does seem on the long
side through lack of sufficiently memorable themes, but the
workmanship and orchestral mastery are not to be denied. The Rhineland
orchestra, if not of the first rank, puts up spirited and colourful
performances, and the recording (originally made for the SWF radio) is
very acceptable.
</snip>

[Mirror Image]

Have you heard the full length Ballet of the Tragedy of Salome? 
http://www.amazon.com/Florent-Schmitt-Complete-Rheinland-Pfalz-Philharmonic/dp/B0000045YK
It's quite enjoyable.  As I recall, there wasn't anything there that I had wished was included into the suite but wasnt, but it's a lovely work and nice to hear in a different context.

Sadly, a lot of his work is now Out of Print (OOP).

If you are willing to attempt a download through a free file sharing service and dodge requests for a Russian Mail order bride, I've posted a couple Out of print items from his catalogue. NOTE:  PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF ANY OF THESE ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN NEW FORM, AND I'LL YANK THE LINK.  If the links are no longer working (I can't check from where I am right now), let me know, and I'll see about getting them back up, assuming, once again, that these are OOP.  When I originaily uploaded them, I could not find them on Archiv Music or Amazon.

###############################################

This is a rip of an out-of-print CD of Florent Schmitt Piano works
with Pascal Le Corre performing.

Date of Release:  Late 80s/early 90s?

Label/Catalog Number:  Cybelia/809

Artist: Pascal Le Corre

Format/Bit Rate:  mp3/224 kps

Tracks:
1.       Pieces Romantiques
2.      Troise Valses Nocturnes
3.      Mirages

Download URL: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5BAYAEFC

A review of the album is here:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=D&q=http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/March%25201987/91/815840/&usg=AFQjCNHIstOixAFyNbf-z0zXkMOemD7m8Q



Comments:   To be honest, I didn't think that
Schmitt succeeded in coming up with a definitive piano sound like
Debussy, Ravel or Koechlin, but I need to get this another listen, and
thought you all may wish to as well.


###########################################################

   
      
Florent Schmitt: Orchestral Works  Cybelia/816

This is a rip of an out-of-print CD featuring some of Schmitt's lesser
known works.  Although they may not reach the heights of the "Tragedy
of Salome", there is some very enjoyable 20th century orchestral
music  to be had.

Date of Release:  1986 (?)

Label/Catalog Number:  Cybelia/816

Orchestra:  Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Conducted by Pierre
Stoll

Format/Bit Rate:  mp3/224 kps

Extraction:  From CD by Exact Audio Copy- Encoded by Lame MP3
encoder.  Tags edited with MP3 Tag.

Tracks:
1.       Oriane et le Prince d'Amour Ballet Suite
2.      In Memoriam
3.      Ronde Burlesque
4.      Legende Pour Alto et Orchestre

Download URL: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1XESLD0Z

Comments:

I've found an old review of this disc online from Gramophone
Magazine , and I'll reproduce it below.
<snip>
SCHMITT. ORCHESTRAL WORKS. Rhineland Palatinate State Philharmonic
Orchestra I Pierre Stoll. Cybelia/D Sharpe CY684.

Oriane et le prince d'amour—ballet suite. In memoriam. Ronde
burlesque.

The name of Florent Schmitt surfaces but infrequently on records
issued in this country: when it has done so, it has nearly always been
with one of his early works, (The only exceptions have been the string
Janiana and the vivacious sextet for clarinets composed at the age of
82.) Ignorance of his output after his famous dance-drama La tragêdie
de Salome (1907) is widespread; so we should thank Pierre Stoll for
his enterprise in recording—for the first time, unless I am mistaken—
three works Schmitt wrote in his late fifties and middle sixties.

The earliest here, and perhaps the best, is the Ronde burlesque
(1927), which may indeed be, by its title and the composer's own
comment on it, a Satie-esque legpull, but sounds more like
Vuillermoz's suggestion (quoted in the score) of the medieval Dance of
Death. Grotesque rather than burlesque, in fact: its febrile gaiety,
grimacing gestures and sardonic mockery are, to my ear, distinctly
sinister. In memoriam is a somewhat unbalanced juxtaposition of a
long, often beautiful, threnody (Cippus feralis), evoking an austere
antique atmosphere, which rises to a powerful climax, and a short,
noisy and dissonant scherzo on the 'musical letters' of his former
teacher Faure's name, which is in fact a rather awkward orchestration
of a piano piece composed 15 years earlier. The most substantial work
' here is the "suite" (can one movement constitute a suite?) from the
'choreographic tragedy' Oriane and the prince of love (originally
Oriane the peerless), written in 1934 for Ida Rubinstein. The story,
centring on a sixteenth-century insatiable and cruel beauty in Avignon
and her eventual violent end, offered Schmitt plentiful opportunities
to indulge his taste for mysterious atmosphere, voluptuous orchestral
colour and barbaric splendour. Like much of his music, its texture is
somewhat over-ripe, and the 20-minute movement does seem on the long
side through lack of sufficiently memorable themes, but the
workmanship and orchestral mastery are not to be denied. The Rhineland
orchestra, if not of the first rank, puts up spirited and colourful
performances, and the recording (originally made for the SWF radio) is
very acceptable.
</snip>

Thanks for your help, but I think I'll just wait for Tortelier or somebody else to put out some more recordings. The Rhineland orchestra have, as Sarge pointed out in another thread, tackled some unusual repertoire. They made some decent Koechlin recordings, but thank goodness Heinz Holliger and the Stuttgart Radio Symphony came through with superior performances in excellent audio thanks to Hanssler.

Anyway, I just stopped by this thread to say that Schmitt's music has been winning some new admirers.

[snyprrr]

Piano Quintet Op.51: Bern SQ/Bartschi (Accord/OOP)



Absolutely great music!! I just went on about it in the Piano Quintets Thread, but, judging by the dearth of posts here, IT MUST BE!

This piece has all the hallmarks of other, sprawling masterpieces, written @1906. I'll be honest, this sounds like the kind of piece that could sound absolutely terrible in the hands of a bad bunch of players, so Fauresque is it, with flickering changes of mood and capricious forays. As I said before, Schmitt is evocative without sounding exotic, a very strange effect for music which on the surface 'sounds' normal.

The Bern SQ I have grown to trust through recordings of Reger, Lachenmann, and Terzakis. Especially in the Reger (duh! ), they show themselves to be expert technicians, along with being incredibly passionate performers. Here, they ooze and dribble like molasses, with deliciously thick tone. In other places, they exude a Gallic Heroicism, pointing up the question of whether it's the music, or the performance (I'm going to say that this is Great Music (and a Great Performance)). The pianist, Walter Bartschi (of ECM fame), plays this potential trainwreck of notes as if fairies are dancing on fountains. The whole team's integration also is a source of wonder.

The only real complaint about this (at this point, Historic) recording, is the recording itself. On the plus side, the pale, moonlight, and slightly opaque recording helps to illustrate the EA Poe-like, macabre quality of the music. On the minus side, I might use the word 'serviceable'. It is by no means audiophile, but, it captures a great performance, without any real peaking, though, sometimes in massed climaxes, there may be a bit of 'clotting', or, that little certain something that you just don't want, haha. There, how's that for tech jargon?

The only compare is a cd on Timpani, with the Stanislas SQ (I think), which seems to have disappeared from Amazon recently. Even so, this performance has a perfumed authority to it that are compelling. There is also a recording of the composer himself (EMI), but this is only the slow mvmt.



So, back to the music. Schmitt likes the tinkling piano octaves, which are used to great clocklike effect in the slow mvmt. Also, Schmitt's lyricism never goes 'Hollywood', which, I think, is important to state, because this IS the kind of music that in lesser hands (composer-wise) might have ended up that way. Whereas Bloch practically invented the 'Biblical" sound, Schmitt here has invented a very very beautifully compelling fin de siecle air, without being morbid (on the way to the graveyard, so to speak). Of course, this fetid air really IS there, it's just hidden very well,... kind of like Dorian Gray!

If one looks at Schmitt's opus #s, one sees all his well known masterpieces clustered around these three pieces (this, and the Psalm&TS). Still, I'd love to hear his Late SQ. Either way, this Piano Quintet is in the Top3, if not the GrandPrizeWinner altogether.

Can I get a witness?

Well, snyprrr, I just got rid of this recording. Those were heady days weren't they?

[madaboutmahler]

La tragédie de Salomé..... AMAZING piece, have just listened to the first time, Paray's performance. Brilliant stuff, am already in love with it. Now listening to the Bringuier on youtube.

Will need to hear more from this composer.. definitely considering the Tortelier recording!

[madaboutmahler]

Why wait? Just ordered:
[asin]B004YHBA90[/asin]

Amazing stuff!

[pjme]

read more about this great score at http://florentschmitt.com/2012/10/21/one-heck-of-a-film-score-florent-schmitts-salammbo/


P.

[madaboutmahler]

More exploration of Schmitt tonight:

http://www.youtube.com/v/loG9a96UgTE

Antoine et Cléopâtre

Beautiful piece, what stunning orchestration!

[madaboutmahler]

Why wait? Just ordered:
[asin]B004YHBA90[/asin]

Amazing stuff!

Well, this is a great disc! Perhaps Salome doesn't quite match up to Paray's performance, nor the Martinon for the Psalm, but realllly great cd which I'm enjoying giving many listens to! love these two pieces a lot, such fantastic music.

Wondering if any of you have heard these other recordings and how they are?
[asin]B000EQHSIC[/asin]
[asin]B000PMGSB8[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Those two Salome performances don't match Nezet-Seguin IMHO:



This is a wonderfully atmospheric and powerful account of Salome that shouldn't be missed, Daniel.

[madaboutmahler]

Those two Salome performances don't match Nezet-Seguin IMHO:



This is a wonderfully atmospheric and powerful account of Salome that shouldn't be missed, Daniel.

If I'm correct in thinking, that one I have heard on youtube, and yes, it was amazing! Very atmospheric indeed. None have beaten Paray quite yet for me though.. what do you think of that recording?
Are the Janowski and Fischer worth getting, John?