Schmitt: Works for Piano

Featuring

Biljana Urban
Florent Schmitt

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Composer Biography

Florent Schmitt won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1900 with his cantata Sémiramis, after four attempts, beating out competitors like Ravel and Caplet in the preliminary rounds.

Composer Biography

Florent Schmitt studied at the Paris Conservatoire with notable figures like Théodore Dubois, Albert Lavignac, and André Gédalge, and later in the composition class of Massenet and Fauré, alongside fellow students such as Ravel and Enesco.

Performer Biography

Biljana Urban has released three critically acclaimed albums of music by Czech composer Jan Václav Hugo Voříšek for Grand Piano and recorded piano works by her Czech-born grandfather, Jan-Jovan Urban, for Naxos.

Recording & Production

This album features world premiere recordings of several piano works by Florent Schmitt, including "Pupazzi," "9 Pièces," "Ritournelle," "3 Préludes - No. 1. Prélude triste," and "Ballade de la neige."

Composer's Artistic Vision

Florent Schmitt's prolific output was influenced by a mix of styles prevalent in Paris during the French Golden Age of Music, including Romanticism, Impressionism, Symbolism, Cubism, Ballets Russes, and Orientalism.

Performer Biography

Pianist Biljana Urban has performed at prestigious venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels.

Composer Biography

Florent Schmitt, a contemporary of Debussy and Ravel, was born in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War, and his hometown of Blâmont was near the German border after the Treaty of Frankfurt.