COMPOSERS: Schmitt
LABELS: Marco Polo
WORKS: Symphony No. 2; Danse d’Abisag; Habeyssée; Rêves
PERFORMER: Hannele Segerstam (violin)Rheinland-Pfalz Philharmonic/Leif Segerstam
CATALOGUE NO: 8.223689 DDD
This latest disc in Marco Polo’s ever-mushrooming catalogue of rarities shows two sides of Florent Schmitt’s art. On the one hand is the Impressionist legacy of Debussy (fascinatingly combined with hints of Scriabin and Szymanowski), on the other, the neo-classicism of Roussel. The latter (Habeyssée, Symphony No. 2) come off better here: the more voluptuous Schmitt sound cries out for something like the Montreal SO/Dutoit treatment. The sound here is somewhat dry and the playing efficient rather than wholehearted. Matthew Rye
Schmitt: Symphony No. 2; Danse d'Abisag; Habeyssée; Rêves
This latest disc in Marco Polo’s ever-mushrooming catalogue of rarities shows two sides of Florent Schmitt’s art. On the one hand is the Impressionist legacy of Debussy (fascinatingly combined with hints of Scriabin and Szymanowski), on the other, the neo-classicism of Roussel. The latter (Habeyssée, Symphony No. 2) come off better here: the more voluptuous Schmitt sound cries out for something like the Montreal SO/Dutoit treatment. The sound here is somewhat dry and the playing efficient rather than wholehearted. Matthew Rye
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:15 pm