MEL BONIS Orchestral Works, Elizabeth Watts, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Rumon Gamba/Chandos SACD 

Mel Bonis (1858–1937), a name few of us will have encountered, remains one of the most compelling rediscoveries in French music. Born Mélanie Bonis, she adopted a gender-neutral pseudonym to navigate a musical world dominated by men. Despite studying at the Paris Conservatoire alongside Debussy and Pierné, her career was constrained by social expectations and personal circumstances. Her music, however, speaks with a distinctive and confident voice – lyrical and richly imaginative. Bonis composed across a wide range of genres, from piano miniatures to chamber and orchestral works, often blending Romantic warmth with subtle harmonic innovation. For much of her life, recognition eluded her, not least because of the barriers faced by women composers of her era. Yet her work reveals a composer of striking individuality and emotional depth. Today, at least on disc, her music is finally gaining the attention it deserves, offering a vivid testament to a talent that persisted against the odds.

This new SACD from Rumon Gamba and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra presents a welcome survey of Bonis’s relatively small orchestral output, composed between 1891 and 1912. It is a programme that not only highlights her skill as an orchestrator but also reveals a composer attuned to colour, character, and narrative suggestion.

The centrepiece of the disc is the ‘Trois Femmes de Légende’(1909), a symphonic suite depicting Ophélie, Salomé and Cléopâtre. At just under eighteen minutes, it is the most substantial work here and offers the clearest demonstration of Bonis’s orchestral prowess. Each movement is vividly characterised, with finely judged orchestral textures and a strong sense of atmosphere; Bonis proves adept at evoking psychological nuance through colour and gesture rather than overt drama. The two delightful orchestral songs – ‘Le Chat sur le toit’ and ‘Noël de la Vierge Marie’ – are entrusted to the beguiling voice of Elizabeth Watts who delivers them with sensitivity and pure tone.

Much of the remaining programme is built around dance-inspired works, including the ‘Suite en forme de valses’ and ‘Danse sacrée’ (1898), two movements from the ‘Suite orientale’ (1900), and the ‘Trois Danses’ (1904 –1909). While these pieces may not always leave a lasting thematic imprint, they are consistently well crafted, melodically appealing, and orchestrated with finesse. Bonis’s gift lies less in bold structural innovation than in her ability to sustain mood and charm through subtle harmonic inflection and elegant scoring.

The disc concludes with ‘Les Gitanos’ (1891), a Spanish waltz that proves to be something of a showpiece. Here, both composer and performers seem especially energised, the music bursting with rhythmic vitality and colour. It makes for a rousing and memorable conclusion, and one can easily imagine it serving as an effective concert encore.

Throughout, Rumon Gamba and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra prove persuasive advocates for this repertoire. The playing is polished and responsive, with a clear commitment to bringing out the music’s detail and character. The recording, made in Glasgow’s City Halls, a venue whose acoustic has often positively enhanced many of the finest Chandos productions is of a high standard, offering a satisfying blend of warmth and clarity that allows the orchestral textures to register fully. Informative and authoritative booklet notes by Nigel Simeone further enhance this release, providing valuable context for the listener. To sum up, this is an admirable and highly enjoyable recording that makes a strong case for Mel Bonis’s orchestral music. Beautifully performed and expertly recorded, it stands as an important contribution to the growing discography of a composer whose voice deserves to be heard.