Mengyiyi Chen - Mel Bonis: Music for Solo Piano, Vol. 1

Melanie Bonis (1858-1937), a fine pianist herself, composed some 150 works for solo piano, publishing them with her first name shortened to 'Mel' to disguise the fact that she was a woman - while she lived among the French haute bourgeoisie as Mme Domange. They sometimes show the influence of Chabrier, and have points of contact with the music of Chausson, Debussy and Pierne, who had been fellow students at the Paris Conservatoire. But they also reveal an individual approach to rhythm, harmony and tone-colour - and it's clear that her conventional exterior hid a lively sense of fun, her many miniatures for children perhaps influenced by her own experience as a mother.