Today marks the birthday of Franz Schmidt, who was born on 22 December 1874 in Preßburg.
In his Guardian-article “How Franz Schmidt became the composer that history forgot” Gavin Plumley pointed out why it is time to listen to the composer’s works afresh.
You can view the full study score of Schmidt’s Symphony No. 2 on Universal Edition for free:
When Simone Young lay down her baton on 15 June 2015 after the performance of Franz Schmidt’s The Book with Seven Seals, it was the 45th programme in the 90th Philharmonic concert that she had conducted within the ten years of her term as Hamburg Artistic Director
“Time to reassess Austria’s tainted composer?” Andrew Clements of The Guardian reviews a new recording of Franz Schmidt’s Das Buch mit Sieben Siegeln.
“When heard alongside the other composers of his generation, Schmidt can appear like a cheerful fish out of water.” (Gavin Plumley, The Guardian, 29 August 2015)
Gavin Plumley explores the question of why Franz Schmidt has almost disappeared from concert halls on The Guardian.
The next opportunity to hear Schmidt’s Symphony No. 2 will be on 10 September, when it’ll be performed at this year’s BBC Proms. Before the concert, Gavin Plumley discusses the composer’s life and work.
Tune in to BBC Radio 3 on 10 September at 20:40 CET/CEST.