The French composer Florent Schmitt (1870-1958) wrote well over a hundred pieces in a number of forms. In the early twentieth century his music was frequently performed, and he had no shortage of fans including Igor Stravinsky (at least for a while). His reputation eventually plunged in no small part due to his pro-German, pro-Vichy sympathies in the ‘30s and ‘40s. In more recent years, there has been a revival of interest in his oeuvre, which draws on a number of styles and tendencies. This album includes a version of one of Schmitt’s best known compositions, La Tragédie de Salomé. The piece was originally composed as a ballet score for small orchestra, but Schmitt also produced a full orchestral version and a piano reduction, which Vincent Larderet plays on this recording. The album also includes Ombres, a work that has been compared to Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit and Mirages, which shows the influence of Debussy. At times the music possesses a Germanic intensity, which isn’t surprising since Laurent was born in Lorraine, a region that borders Germany. Larderet succeeds at bringing out both the atmospheric and dramatic qualities in Schmitt’s work.