Compared by contemporaries to Ravel and Debussy, French composer Florent Schmitt is being rediscovered today. Following his death, one critic mourned that “French music has...

Compared by contemporaries to Ravel and Debussy, French composer Florent Schmitt is being rediscovered today. Following his death, one critic mourned that “French music has just lost a smile and a master”. The whimsical and sparkling À tour d’anches for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and piano and the dramatically beautiful Piano Quintet reveal a powerful and distinctive personality. By turns lyrical, humorous and fiery, these two chamber works span a period of almost forty years, from the beginning of Schmitt’s mature period to his late style.