About this Release
“This CD set is undoubtedly among the most significant projects of our recording careers. Schmitt’s music has always enthralled us with its splendid colors, Gallic wit, spontaneity of expression, bold imagination, daring stylistic contrasts, rhythmic vitality and rich texture. It is our sincere hope that this release will help popularize the composer’s piano duet and duo works and that these marvelous pieces will eventually find their way into the standard repertoire.” — Invencia Piano Duo
SCHMITT, FLORENT (1870–1958)
Complete Original Works for Piano Duet and Duo • 1
Trois Rapsodies, Op. 53 • Sept Pièces, Op. 15 • Rhapsodie Parisienne
- Invencia Piano Duo
Winner of the Prix de Rome in 1900, Florent Schmitt stands alongside Debussy and Ravel as one of the most original and influential French composers of his time. This is the first of four volumes including unpublished work and rarities for piano duo and duet, each representing Schmitt’s rich harmonic palette and good humored lyricism. Schmitt’s piano duos and duets are probably second only to Schubert in terms of sheer quantity and yet beyond a few works such as the Trois rapsodies, Op. 53, they have been hardly known on disc. This new complete four volume set of recordings seeks to redress this lack, and includes numerous rarities such as the unpublished Rhapsodie parisienne. Schmitt’s wide travels throughout his life ensured a vast resource of influences and inspiration. Performed by the multiple award-winning Invencia Piano Duo, Schmitt’s warm melodic gift, sensual but subtly stated harmonies and rhythmic inventiveness make these works a rewarding journey of discovery in their own right.
Tracklist
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3 Rapsodies, Op. 53 (1904) (00:21:57 )
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1
No. 1. Française (00:05:16)
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2
No. 2. Polonaise (00:09:05)
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3
No. 3. Viennoise (00:07:33)
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7 Pieces, Op. 15 (1899) (00:26:21 )
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4
No. 1. Somnolence * (00:03:16)
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5
No. 2. Souvenir de Ribeaupierre * (00:03:51)
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6
No. 3. Scintillement * (00:03:21)
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7
No. 4. Souhaits de jeune fille * (00:02:46)
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8
No. 5. Promenade à l'étang * (00:04:11)
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9
No. 6. Fête septentrionale * (00:04:10)
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10
No. 7. Traversée heureuse * (00:04:33)
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11
Rhapsodie parisienne (1898) * (00:06:12)
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The Artist(s)
The Invencia Piano Duo has won high critical acclaim for its compelling interpretations of a vast and diverse repertoire. Lutsyshyn was a prizewinner at the Vienna Modern Masters International Performers’s Recording Awards Competition and the William Kapell International Piano Competition. Kasparov won the Albert Roussel Prize at the Orléans International Piano Competition and gave the première of Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3 to great acclaim.
https://invenciaduo.wordpress.com
The Composer(s)
Florent Schmitt’s compositions are not easily categorised, and his compositional ethos, based on the requirements of the music or on the literary, historical or geographic source of inspiration, varied more in style than that of his contemporaries. From the age of seventeen, when he devoted himself to a career in music, Schmitt maintained his French musical lineage, incorporating as its essential element what he called “seductive harmony”. Yet his individual musical language gathered energy from all that he experienced. In spite of his connections to the music of his countrymen, Schmitt’s music avoids easy classification. He has been labelled a product of German romanticism, French sensibilities, exotic locales, Russian experimentalism, and orientalisms. In reality he is an independent, creative force to be reckoned with; one who made authentically original contributions to twentieth-century music. Reviews
“They [Invencia] play together with impeccable timing and elegance, not to mention considerable virtuosity, as this recital demonstrates. ” – MusicWeb International
“[Rhapsodie Parisienne] alone is worth the price of the disc—an ebullient piece bursting with energy and brilliance” – American Record Guide
“Lush comfort and elegance” – Classica
“The Invencia Duo’s nonchalant delivery perfectly matches the spirit of the piece [Rhapsodie parisienne] as they track the harmony’s sweet twists and turns with exquisite precision. ” – International Piano
“A useful exploration of Ravel’s contemporary Schmitt. The chromatic harmonies of the Trois Rhapsodies are delightful… ” – BBC Music Magazine
“Few pleasures can compare with hearing unfamiliar music superbly played by an extraordinary pair of musicians, the Invencia Piano Duo…hypnotically charming, with familiar harmonic language and rhythms used in surprising ways.” – Artsong Update
“Their [Invencia Piano Duo] playing is elegant, extremely well delineated and well attuned to a French idiom. ” – David Denton
Also Available
Grand Piano has gained a reputation for producing high quality recordings of rare keyboard gems. Dedicated to the exploration of undiscovered piano repertoire, the label specialises in complete cycles of piano works by many lesser-known composers, whose output might otherwise have remained unknown and unrecorded.
- info@grandpianorecords.com
