The new release on the Urborigène Records label, performed by French pianist Clément Canonne, includes two world premiere recordings plus an unpublished 1950 piano sonata that later became the wind composition Chants alizés.
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Clément Canonne’s recording of late piano music by Florent Schmitt, released in January 2025 by Urborigène Records.
Music-lovers who are familiar with the music of Florent Schmitt know that a significant number of his compositions were written for the piano. And like his compatriot Maurice Ravel, Schmitt also created piano versions of many of his orchestral works.
Schmitt himself was a gifted pianist, so it’s no surprise that his compositions for the keyboard are idiomatic and effective. Schmitt’s most famous pieces for piano were composed comparatively early in his career – the period from 1890 to the First World War. Over time, the composer’s imagination led him increasingly towards other instrumental forces; consequently, the piano works created later in his life are less known – particularly the pieces written in the decade following World War II.
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Florent Schmitt (in dark jacket) and fellow-composer André Caplet performing piano duets together at the Villa Medici in Rome (1902). Schmitt was a fine pianist — indeed, technically accomplished enough to play the premiere performance of his fiendishly difficult Symphonie Concertante for Orchestra with Piano at the Boston Symphony in 1932, with Serge Koussevitzky conducting.
It is this later era that is the focus of the new recording, released in January 2025 by Urborigène Records. Importantly, these represent the first commercial recordings ever made of all three pieces.
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Clément Canonne (2008 photo)
The musician bringing these compositions to the microphones is the French pianist Clément Canonne. Trained in piano performance at the Lyon Conservatoire, Mr. Canonne has made his career in the field of music research. But recently he has put renewed energies into performing, and one of the fruits of his activities is this new recording that includes the following works by Florent Schmitt:
- Clavecin obtempérant, Op. 109 (“The Ill-Tempered Clavier”) — a work for harpsichord or piano composed in 1946 for harpsichordist Marcelle de Lacour
- Scènes de la vie moyenne, Op. 124 (“Scenes from the Mundane Life”) — composed in 1950 in both orchestral and piano versions
- Piano Sonata – the original 1950 version of a composition that would later become Chants alizés, Op. 125 for wind quintet
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Florent Schmitt, photographed in 1953 at his home in St-Cloud. (Photo: ©Lipnitzki/Roger-Viollet)
Clément Canonne has a keen interest in Schmitt’s late-career compositions, which were written by the composer as he approached his 80th birthday and beyond. While these works bear unmistakable characteristics of the artistry we commonly associate with the master, they differ markedly from the vast trove of piano music that Schmitt had created during the early decades of his career.
Coincidentally, Schmitt’s earlier scores are generally better known and therefore performed more frequently. As Mr. Canonne observes:
“[Schmitt’s piano music from his early period] testifies to a fundamentally orchestral approach to the piano – perhaps less concerned with idiomatic writing than with exploring the harmonic and polyphonic possibilities offered by the instrument.
On the other hand, the piano works of Florent Schmitt’s [later] period … offer an entirely different perspective on the piano. While the writing is still particularly dense, other properties of the instrument are brought to the fore – perhaps having more to do with its fundamentally percussive nature as evidenced by the numerous passages in alternating chords and the proliferation of acciacaturas.
As a result, virtuosity comes more from the extreme mobility — in terms of registers and dynamics demanded of the performer – than from the richness of the ornamentation that ‘thickens’ the musical phrase.
Broadly speaking, I appreciate the ‘edgier’ character of Florent Schmitt’s late period, with its clear, bold harmonies and great rhythmic power always evident. Schmitt’s piano works from this period are no exception, and I think they deserve to be much better known.”
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The back cover of the CD release of Clément Canonne’s new recording of late-career piano compositions by Florent Schmitt, listing the various movements of the three works included on the program. Regarding the choice of cover art for the CD booklet, Mr. Canonne states, “I selected the image for its humorous effect. It’s a way to be faithful to Schmitt’s own persona, as well as his penchant for quirky titles that sometimes clash with the musical content.”
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Marcelle de Lacour (1896-1997), photographed at the beginning of her musical career (1920s).
As for the three works featured on Clément Canonne’s new recording, Clavecin obtempérant, Op. 107 was written in 1946 for the French harpsichordist Marcelle de Lacour, but the published score denotes both the harpsichord and piano. Mme. de Lacour’s conception of the piece has been preserved in her mid-1950s performance of the work broadcast over French Radio, where it’s clear that she was playing on a Pleyel concert model rather than the “period” instruments that are back in favor today.
Not surprisingly, the piece sounds vastly different when played on the harpsichord compared to a piano, despite the fact that the notes in the score are exactly the same. Clément Canonne feels that the piece is inherently more “pianistic” in its character, noting:
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A vintage copy of the score to Florent Schmitt’s Clavecin obtempérant. The first page of the score specifies “harpsichord or piano.”
“For me, there is little doubt that Schmitt composed it both on the piano and for the piano. That’s evidenced by the great variety of the dynamic palette, the numerous crescendos and decrescendos which dot the work, and even the chords that the composer directs to be allowed to resonate here and there.
The finale (Animé movement) is particularly full of pianistic turns of phrase. Think of the broken chords and broad left-hand arpeggios that feed the climax preceding the recapitulation, the long cantilena set with arpeggios where the Sicilian rhythm is reminiscent of Fauré’s writing, or the octaves and alternating martellato chords – all of which would sound quite hollow without the piano’s resonant capacities.”
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The first page of the score to Florent Schmitt’s Clavecin obtempérante, dedicated to the French harpsichordist Marcelle de Lacour.
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French conductor Paul Paray (1886-1979), who led more world premieres of Florent Schmitt’s orchestral works than any other conductor, gave the first performance of the orchestral version of Scènes de la vie moyenne in Paris in 1950.
Turning to another four-movement suite on the recording, Florent Schmitt’s Scènes de la vie moyenne, Op. 124 is a piano transcription of an orchestral work that the composer was preparing concurrently (the orchestral version was premiered by Paul Paray and the Colonne Concerts Orchestra in late 1950). As might well be expected, the piano version of the work is quite “orchestral” in its character – similar in fashion to Stravinsky’s piano version of scenes from Petrouchka.
Commenting further on this point, Canonne notes:
“As is often the case [in piano transcriptions], the main difficulty lies in maintaining the legibility of the different planes despite the richness of the overall texture, and compensating for the absence of instrumental contrasts with greater precision in dynamic or agogic characterizations.
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The first page of the piano score to Florent Schmitt’s Scènes de la vie moyenne, published by Durand in 1952. Note Schmitt’s dedication of the piano score to the noted French musician Lélia Gousseau.
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This advertisement promoting the piano artistry of Lélia Gousseau (1909-1997) appeared in French arts magazines in 1938. Florent Schmitt is one of three music critics who are quoted in the advertisement. (Click on the image for a larger view.)
However, Florent Schmitt is careful to employ a very pianistic style of writing. In the recapitulation of the [first movement’s] Marche aux marché theme, for example, Schmitt pushes the performer to the limit by superimposing a very large number of elements and motifs — but rearranging them in such a way that the whole remains playable while giving the perfect illusion of pianistic multiplication …
As for the last movement, the Saut périlleux de poulet, it gives pride of place to thirds — taking advantage of all the ways of combining them (in runs, chords, melodic doublings, etc.) that can be found in the piano literature — to compose a great virtuoso work.”
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A vintage copy of the score to the piano version of Florent Schmitt’s Scènes de la vie moyenne, dedicated to the French pianist Lélia Gousseau. (A personal note: This was one of the very first Schmitt scores that I acquired, purchased at a music shop in downtown Nashville, Tennessee in 1974 while I was enrolled at Vanderbilt University.)
Music historians have long noted Florent Schmitt’s penchant for incorporating puns and humorous double-entendres in the titles that he gave to certain of his compositions — and this suite is no exception. French organist, author and musicologist Bernard Gavoty noted as much at the time of the orchestral version’s premiere in Paris in 1950, writing under the nom de plume of “Clarendon” in the November 2, 1950 issue of Le Figaro as follows:
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This india ink caricature of French organist, musicologist and writer Bernard Georges-Marie Gavoty (1908-1981) was drawn by the dessinateur Pierre Rollat (1914-2005). Rollat, who signed his work as “SIRO,” sketched numerous French personalities in the arts, politics and sports fields over many decades. He was known for capturing the “essence” of each subject’s persona in a few simple pen strokes.
“As I listened to Schmitt’s latest work at the Concerts Colonne under the brilliant direction of [Paul] Paray, I wondered whether this great musician had been right to include a humorous epigraph at the head of each of the four Scènes de la vie moyenne. He did it spontaneously – it is a trait of his character. But I fear that, for more than one listener, the sign might conceal – dare I say it – the ‘goods’ …
That would be a real shame, for this charming score is much more than a picture book … A fine, luminous orchestration adorns these four tableaux, both rustic and lyrical – indeed, the lovely language, the beautiful, firm and full thought, the stubborn youth of an octogenarian unaffected by the ‘ices’ of age.”
The third piece featured in the new recording is Florent Schmitt’s Piano Sonata, composed in 1950. It is a work that is missing from the “official” catalogue of Schmitt’s compositions, and has been essentially unknown ever since its creation.
Clément Canonne describes how he learned of the existence of the score:
“While investigating the piano works of Florent Schmitt as listed on the website of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, I came across a mysterious mention: ‘Piano sonata, first version of Chants alizés, quintet for wind instruments, opus 125.’ Intrigued, I immediately made an appointment at the Music Department of the BNF in order to view the manuscript. There I discovered a perfectly clean manuscript score, dated December 25, 1950.
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French pianist Clément Canonne recording late-career piano music by Florent Schmitt (IRCAM Espace de projection, Paris, December 2023).
I don’t know why Schmitt didn’t end up publishing this so-called ‘piano sonata’ – the only piece so named among his entire output. We do know that he received a commission from the ORTF’s wind quintet shortly after completing the manuscript of this sonata — and so one could hypothesize that he decided that his recent sonata could very well do the job to fulfill that commission.
In fact, the manuscript of the Piano Sonata includes a very large number of pencil modifications that were clearly made after the completion of the original score — and which aim to both orchestrate and transform the piano material for performance by a quintet of wind players.
My recording presents the initial manuscript version as prepared by Florent Schmitt when he had the writing of a piano sonata in mind, before rewriting the work for wind quintet.”
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The first page of the manuscript score of Florent Schmitt’s Piano Sonata, which was used for the recording by Clément Canonne in December 2023. Note the BNF stamp at the bottom of the page.
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The version the world knows best — the published music scored for wind ensemble.
As could be expected, when comparing the four-movement Piano Sonata to the actual wind composition that ended up being published, there are some notable differences between them. In Canonne’s view, the original version is “perfectly pianistic even as it remains formidably challenging – like practically everything else that Schmitt wrote for the instrument” — adding that “in no way is it a preparatory score for later instrumentation.”
Recorded by Urborigène Records in December 2023 at the IRCAM Espace de projection performance venue in Paris, the new recording boasts fine sonics, including natural-sounding miking of the piano that provides both immediacy and bloom; in short, the ideal conditions for showcasing these remarkable late piano scores by Florent Schmitt.
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Percussionist and audio entrepreneur Roméo Monteiro heads up the Urborigène Records label.
The recording is available for purchase in both CD and download form at the Urborigène Records website, as well as from various online music vendors such as Amazon, FNAC, Decitre, Panier Musique and others.
As a bonus, the CD liner notes contain three highly informative and detailed articles: musicologist and author Alexandre Robert writing on the critical reception of Florent Schmitt’s late compositions; musicologist Hugo Rodriguez writing on the essence of “humor” in Florent Schmitt’s creative output, and pianist Clément Canonne’s own commentary about the three works featured on the recording.
[Note: My February 2024 interview with Mr. Canonne provides additional insights into the recording project and the compositions featured. That article can be accessed here.]
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Clément Canonne recording late-career piano music of Florent Schmitt at IRCAM’s Espace de projection (Paris, December 26, 2023).