Florent Schmitt from Chandos

[Alan Howe]

This could be a winner...

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Chandos/CHSA5090

[alberto]

 Good news to me. Is it possible that the most recent version of La Tragédie de Salomé (version for large orhestra) is Janowski dating to 1990? (I have got it together with versions by De Almeida and Martinon).
Le palais hanté , if I am not wrong, had the first and only recording by Pretre (EMI) in 1984.

[alberto]

I understand by myself that another "Tragédie" has just been released (end of february 2011) on Atma (cond. Nezet-Seguin): but coupled to Franck Symphony.

[M. Henriksen]

Thierry Fischer's Hyperion disc is recorded in October 2006:

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Florent-Schmitt-Psaume-47-op-38/hnum/1854790


Morten

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Indeed, very much a potential winner. There is an obvious compatibility between Chandos and these two splendidly grandiose pieces, and given all the varied richness of the Chandos catalogue I'm surprised they haven't included Schmitt within it earlier. There is, surely, a good case for a Schmitt series on Chandos?

But independently of whether this might form Volume 1 of a possible series or not, what a pity this disc collides with an excellent existing Hyperion disc (see Morten's link above). There are 138 opus numbers on the work list at IMSLP, and on those rare occasions when we get a Schmitt recording it is nearly always of some of the same 4-5 works including the present two. Apart from a thin scattering of other works (and the Op. 51 Piano Quintet which should be compulsory listening for all with ears), I have little idea as to the quality of the other 130 or so works - they receive no performances (at least in the UK) or recordings. What are we missing out on here? Is there (very unlikely!) room for not just a Chandos mini-series, but a mega-series? That work list is made up of works of huge variety (just about all sorts of things apart from opera). There is a considerable quantity of piano music, and much for piano duet (that could be really interesting!) I also recall that no less than John Ogden used to play some Schmitt - so I'd guess there's some music of high quality tucked away in that work list.

[TerraEpon]

I have a piece called "Oriane et le Prince d'Amour" on my 'want' list, only been able to come across one long OOP recording, not even used copies available on Amazon, on a label called Cybelia. No idea where I heard it to put it on said list, though...

[alberto]

I have the Cybelia CY 816 containing Oriane et le Prince d'Amour, suite from the ballet op.83 bis (1934, timing 19' 04").
Very fine, impressive and worth listening, but decidedly not on the level of La tragédie de Salomé or Psalm 47.
I have listened through the records about  thirty works of Schmitt (as on my posts dated 3/3/2011 and 27/3/11): nothing mediocre, never less than interesting, but the masteworks remain in my opinion the two quoted above. Even two pieces (7 and 8 in a series of 8 waltzes) from "Reflets d'Allemagne" conducted by Schmitt himself in archeological sound (unknown orchestra, esoteric LP Canadian label "Rococo"). To the works already mentioned in those posts, I have to add "Janiana Symphony" for strings (dedicated to a lady Jane Evrard), Suite en rocaille for harp, flute and string Trio, Lied and scherzo for horn and piano (Warner Ultima -Erato coupled to Tragédie and Psalm 47 conducted by Janowsky). And the Legend for saxopohone and orch. (Arte Nova)
Cybelia 816 like its Schmitt companion CY 869 (I own  both) was not recycled by MP (which, on the contrary, released -or recycled from Cybelia?- the CDs with the original version of "La Tragédié" -MP 8.223448 and the CD with the Second Symphony and three shorter orchestral works -MP 8.223689). That means that not even a daring company can attempt to sell too much Schmitt?
Anyway, now I am waiting from Naxos the Piano Quintet (never listened) coupled with "A tour d'anches" for piano and winds.
(Just by the way the recent Naxos CD of Schmitt piano music suggests that the composer had Nazi sympathies before World War II, a topic I had not read about before).

[Phillip Nones]

Finally, the complete "Oriane" ballet music is being released as of June 2014 ... but it's from a 1956 live concert recording by Pierre Dervaux and the ORTF Orchestra + Chorus.  It can be ordered directly from the label, Forgotten Records.  The companion piece on the CD is Schmitt's Symphony #2, in a 1960 live performance by Jean Martinon and the ORTF.

I haven't heard the disk (ordered, not arrived yet), but a European friend of mine has, and he reports that the recording quality is decent and the interpretations strong.

The "Oriane" Suite on Cybelia is less than 20 minutes of music, whereas the complete ballet is nearly an hour.  So there should be many more interesting musical moments to savor.  (I was never particularly thrilled with the quality of the performance on the Cybelia recording, either.)