Recorded at Maureen Forrester Recital Hall, Faculty of Music, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 17 December 2010, 22 February 2011 & 9 May 2011

The long-lived French composer Florent Schmitt (1870-1958) created many of his most impressive and influential works in the first two decades of the twentieth century, equally gorgeous in their piano versions (four hands or two pianos) as for the orchestra. Pianists Leslie De’Ath and Anya Alexeyev have recorded a ripe selection for this 2-CD set, all but two of which are world premiere recordings in these versions. Here the decadent sound world of La tragédie de Salomé, influential on Stravinsky and Diaghilev, is the most familiar but the charm and colour of the ballet music Le petit elfe ‘Ferme-l’oeil’ (The Little Fairy ‘Sleepy-eyes’), a touching evocation of childhood, has a charm all its own. These and various other pieces complete a most enjoyable traversal of Schmitt’s piano music, presented here in immaculate, heartfelt performances.