Florent Schmitt - Orchestral Works (Peter Donohoe; Yan Pascal Tortelier)

Information

Composer: Florent Schmitt

• Symphonie concertante for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 82
• 3 Danses, Op. 86 (Version for Orchestra)
• Chaine brisee, Op. 87: I. Stèle pour le tombeau de Paul Dukas
• Çançunik, Op. 79

Peter Donohoe, piano

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Chandos

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This album features rare orchestrations and premier recordings by the late-nineteenth-century French composer Florent Schmitt, performed by pianist Peter Donohoe and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Yan Pascal Tortelier. Raised near the German border and trained at the Paris Conservatoire under Gabriel Fauré and Jules Massenet, the Prix de Rome winner produced rich post-romantic works that fell into obscurity following World War II. This release presents only the second commercial recording of Schmitt’s dynamic Symphonie concertante, alongside the world-premiere recording of Çançunik, a prize-winning suite written for Radio-Paris. Completing the program are the composer’s own lush orchestral arrangements of his solo piano works, Three Dances and Memorial.

Florent Schmitt (1870–1958) was an influential French composer whose music seamlessly blended late-Romantic complexity with rich orchestral color and vivid Orientalism. A pupil of Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré at the Paris Conservatoire, Schmitt achieved early acclaim with his dramatic setting of Psalm 47 and his iconic symphonic poem La Tragédie de Salomé. His expansive catalogue includes two symphonies, cinematic scores like Salammbô, diverse choral works, and finely crafted chamber and keyboard music. Celebrated for his masterful orchestration and evocative exoticism, Schmitt remains a compelling figure in early twentieth-century French music.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz