Video of the Day: Schmidt: A contemporary of Mahler and Strauss
Jonathan Whiting
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Ahead of his new album, conductor Jonathan Berman discusses the four Symphonies of the lesser known later Romantic composer Franz Schmidt
Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Schmidt (1874-1939) to most has slipped through the cracks of history. Played the cello under Mahler and maintained a lifelong friendship with Schoenberg, Schmidt's music was widely performed in his native Austria in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. The new album 'Franz Schmidt: The Symphonies' is out now.
As we approach the composer's 150th anniversary next year, conductor Jonathan Berman along with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales have joined forces to produce an album of all four of Schmidt's Symphonies. In this short video, Berman gives us an insight into the recording room and the enigmatic scores of the 'last late Romantic'.
'Franz Schmidt: The Symphonies' is available now and can be heard below via Apple Music.