Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)

[kernelbogey]

An interesting piece by Stephen Hough in today's Guardian. I can't find a thread for her (only 'Women Composers' ) so I'm creating this one. I had no idea about the scope of her success, nor of her life.

[gurnemanz]

The other day we heard Steven Hough at the Wilts Music Centre in Schumann Fantasie and the Liszt B minor Sonata, as referred to in his article. In an absorbing programme he accompanied them not with Chaminade, which I might have liked to hear live for the first time, but with Chopin and one of his own compositions.

I first took notice of her when I acquired Anne Sofie von Otter's Gramophone Award winning album, Mots d' amour. https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...haminade-songs. Some critics dismissed the songs as mere sweet little ditties and resisted their delights. Certainly not deep or challenging but I was happy to succumb to them.

Having enjoyed pianist Mark Viner's Alkan recordings and read enthusiastic reviews, I also got his new Chaminade recording on Piano Classics