Florent Schmitt - Works for Piano Duet and Duo Vol. 4 (The Invencia Piano Duo)

Information

Composer: Florent Schmitt

• (01) Humoresques, Op. 43
• (07) Lied et scherzo, Op. 54
• (08) 3 pièces récréatives, Op. 37
• (11) Une semaine du petit elfe Ferme-l'œil, Op. 58

The Invencia Piano Duo
Andrey Kasparov, piano
Oksana Lutsyshyn, piano

Date: 2013
Label: Grand Piano
https://www.grandpianorecords.com/Album/AlbumDetails/GP624

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Review

A contemporary of Debussy and Ravel who long outlived them both, Florent Schmitt (1870–1958) was regarded as an important French composer during the early decades of the 20th century, but his importance diminished over time. He composed right up to the end, even so. His final orchestral work was a large-scale Symphony (his Second).

Recordings of his music have been piecemeal. His early ballet score La tragédie du Salomé , or rather the Impressionistic tone poem for large orchestra derived from it, has made several appearances on disc over the years, the most recent being from the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra under Yan Pascal Tortelier, reviewed by Ronald H. Grames in Fanfare 35:2. Grames preferred the older Paray and Martinon recordings, as do I. A couple of recordings have surfaced of Schmitt’s rambling Symphonie Concertante for Piano and Orchestra of 1931, and I have to hand a disc of witty chamber works for wind ensemble featuring members of the Prague Wind Quintet and Czech Nonet, plus a Naxos disc of an impressive Piano Quintet (reviewed by Henry Fogel in Fanfare 35:1).

Most of the above sustain more interest than this selection of works for piano duet and piano duo. Schmitt wrote a lot in this genre—this is the fourth disc in the Invencia Duo’s series—and as you might expect, the level of inspiration varies. Every piece is well crafted, and played with sensitivity by pianists Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshin, but these are late works and there is an unshakeable feeling of a composer going through the motions.

The suite A Week in the Life of the Little Elf Shut-eye , based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale, consists of seven short character pieces ranging from quirky to soulful. It is effective enough, but aside from the haunting penultimate movement ( La promenade à traverse le tableau ) it seems second-hand when placed next to Debussy’s “Children’s Corner” Suite, a work that covers much the same ground. Similarly, the Lied and Scherzo, op. 54, with its heavy textures and rolled chords, strikes me as more convincing in its original scoring for double wind quintet and solo French horn. The set of pieces entitled Humoresques is equally variable: An undernourished Marche Militaire lacks rhythmic variety and, here and elsewhere, the occasional wrong-note harmonies and contrapuntal accompanying figures seem calculated, as though Schmitt was trying to imitate the younger Poulenc and Milhaud (but failing to match the individuality of either).

As I say, the Invencia Duo make the best possible case for Schmitt’s music and are warmly and clearly recorded, so if you are collecting this series do not hesitate. It could be that earlier works included in the previous three volumes are fresher and more inspired.

-- Phillip Scott, FANFARE

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Oct13/Schmitt_duos_v4_GP624.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Nov13/Schmitt_duos_v4_GP624.htm
https://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=GP624&languageid=EN
https://www.amazon.com/Schmitt-Complete-Original-Works-Piano/dp/B00ENZIFE6

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Florent Schmitt (28 September 1870 – 17 August 1958) was a French composer. He was part of the group known as Les Apaches. At the age of 19 he entered the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied with Gabriel Fauré, Jules Massenet, Théodore Dubois, and Albert Lavignac. Schmitt wrote 138 works with opus numbers, in most of the major forms of music, except for opera. His most famous pieces are La tragédie de Salome and Psaume XLVII (Psalm 47). His own style, recognizably impressionistic, owed to the example of Debussy, and also had distinct traces of Wagner and Richard Strauss.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florent_Schmitt

***

The Invencia Piano Duo has won high critical acclaim for its compelling interpretations of a vast and diverse repertoire. Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn were educated at the Moscow State Conservatory before moving to Indiana University’s School of Music in Bloomington to pursue advanced studies. Kasparov and Lutsyshyn are recipients of prestigious awards and critically acclaimed recording artists. In addition to his career as a pianist, Kasparov is an active composer whose works have been published. They presently serve on the faculty at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
https://www.grandpianorecords.com/Artist/ArtistDetails/97918
https://invenciaduo.wordpress.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

FLAC, tracks

Links in comment

Enjoy!