Piano music by Florent Schmitt.

[alberto]

Some Schmitt enthusiasts or admirers wrote recently.
Now we have a new Naxos CD (8.572194 Ombres op.64; Mirages op.70; La tragédie de Salomé op.50 -bis-vers. for piano by the composer, V.Larderet piano).
Ombres op.64 is a tryptich of pieces (of different lengths) composed in a span of years (1912-1916).
Interesting as it is, at half an hour timing, it appears dwarfed by the earlier and shorter Gaspard the la Nuit of ( five years younger) Ravel.
Mirages op.70 is a dyptich from 1920-1921 (there should exist a later orchestral version). The second piece ("The tragic gallop") inspired to the Mazeppa tale has a Lisztian (to me excessive) ambition.
Both op.64 and op.70 appear very taxing for the performer.
V.Larderet appears good. In Mirages is timing is 15' 34". That giant of breathtaking virtuosity, John Ogdon (EMI 1974, 1996 on CD) took 11' 37" at crack speeds (causing Larderet to appear safe and "wise").
Doubtful about the effectiveness of La tragédie of Salomé in pianistic version, I found that the -great- piece "works" enough even without the luxuriant orchestration. Here sometimes Larderet sounds taxed to his limits.
A fine and interesting record. But the masterworks remain "La tragédie" in the version for large orchestra and the Psaume XLVI.