La Tragedie de Salome, Op. 50 (Suite)

French composer Florent Schmitt (1870-1958) originally composed the ballet La tragédie de Salomé in 1907 for a commission from Jacques Rouché for American dancer Loie Fuller and the Théâtre des Arts, based on a poem by Robert d’Humières. The original hour long ballet required only twenty instruments, restricted by the physical limitations of the theater. In 1910, Schmitt prepared this much better-known suite, cutting the length in half and greatly expanding the orchestration. The work is widely regarded as one of the best examples of French tone painting and is Florent Schmitt’s most popular composition. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2+EH.2+BCl.3(3rd opt.)+Sarrus: 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(5): 2Hp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Soprano Voice or Ob Solo: Women’s Chours.