March 24, 2014

  • The Gorgeous Music of Florent Schmitt

     Schmitt: Le Petit Elfe Ferm-l’Oeil; Introit, recit, et Conge
    Aline Martin, mezzo-soprano.  Henri Demarquette, cello.
    Orchestre National de Lorraine/Jacques Mercier
    Timpani 1212
    Total Time:  51:10
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    At the height of the Art Noveau movement in Paris, one finds a number of great musical voices.  While Stravinsky, Ravel, and to some extent Dukas, have found places in the repertoire, many equally fine composers and works of the period languish.  Of these, Florent Schmitt (1870-1958) is perhaps unjustly neglected.  In some respects, one might call Schmitt a Symbolist with his thematic choices seeming to fall closer to that aesthetic.  One of his greatest works, The Tragedy of Salome, Op. 50, is certainly worth one’s time.  One of many symphonic ballets of the period, it displays the sort of almost decadent rich orchestral writing and sense of dance rhythm that permeates so many of the Ballet Russe commissions as well.  The present disc allows a chance to hear two less familiar Schmitt works, a ballet, and a work for solo cello and orchestra from the middle and end of his career.

    Le petit elfe ferme-l’oeil started as a series of piano pieces inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale “Ole-Luk-Oie.”  The elf here is a sort of Nordic version of the Sandman.  In 1923, Schmitt then orchestrated the piece adding a prelude to the original seven movements.  The piece premiered at the Opera Comique and was an instant success.  The opening “Prelude” is a marvelous example of Schmitt’s musical style.  Here are the brilliant orchestral colors one associates with Ravel, the Impressionist gestures of Debussy, and a command of brasher large orchestral writing that finds its roots in Rimsky-Korsakov.  In fact, the second, “National Festival”, could be a Rimsky-Korsakov work in its exciting fervor and use of brass and percussion.  It is precisely this amazing blend of sound that makes Schmitt’s music so exciting and interesting.  There is almost a sensuousness to the melodic sadness of “The Weary Stork.”  The bells and mallet percussion bring a brightness, and Asian quality, to “The Wedding of Bertha the Doll” (reminiscent of Daphnis et Chloe) and later “The Chinese Umbrella.”  A beautiful lullaby, sung by Aline Martin, accompanies “The Stroll Through the Painting.”  Schmitt’s sense of drama equals that heard in Stravinsky and what some listeners may discern is that this work is a sort of blend of Petrushka and Ma Mere L’Oy!  Could there be anything more wonderful for those who love early 20th-Century music?  The excellent notes provide a story synopsis to help guide the listener as well to this magical work.

    Written for the cello virtuoso Andre Navarra, Introit, Recit et Conge, Op. 113, is a virtuoso non-stop showpiece from the composer’s  last decade.  The three linked movements are a brilliant tour de force for orchestra and soloist.  One can hear more edge to Schmitt’s music though the musical language is still Romantic, or perhaps post-Romantic/Impressionist at least by this point.  Flashes of color contribute to the dance-like nature of the “Introit” which moves into a beautiful lyrical cello line.  The central “Recit” is a sumptuously-scored moment with many Romantic gestures and a Debussy-like feel.  The final “Conge” is a return to more dance rhythms and accents making for a brilliant close. 

    The Lorraine orchestra manages these pieces quite well.  Mercier’s conducting manages to create the right ebb and flow to capture the rich orchestral color and sense of line in this music.  The sound is simply superb, though sometimes a bit overwhelmed at big climaxes (the bass drum sort of feels a bit too much, but fits the character of the music in the ballet).  Martin’s voice is gorgeous, but feels too close in the sound picture.  There appear to be no other recordings of these works in the catalogue at present which suggests these are possible premieres to CD at least.  About the only bad thing is that there was room here for some of Schmitt’s smaller orchestral pieces, at least one, to help make this a fuller album.  In a day when a CD can be 80 minutes long, this one is a bit short.  However, this is easily one of the better recordings of Schmitt’s music available today and one worth seeking out!