Bonis studied orchestration with Charles Koechlin, a skilled orchestrator and student of Massenet and Fauré, between 1908 and 1909.
Composition History
The earliest work on this recording, Les Gitanos, originally for solo piano, won first prize in a waltz competition organized by the magazine Piano Soleil in 1891.
Composition History
The Trois Femmes de légende, Bonis's most ambitious orchestral pieces, were a creative outcome of her studies with Charles Koechlin and date from around 1909.
Composer Biography
Mel Bonis, who preferred to style herself as such, began composing at age twelve and was encouraged by César Franck, who gave her piano lessons.
Composer Biography
Bonis was a fellow student with Claude Debussy and Gabriel Pierné at the Paris Conservatoire, where she won prizes in piano accompaniment and harmony.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded using 24-bit / 96 kHz technology, which provides a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.
Composition History
Bonis's serious interest in composing was reignited in the 1890s after a reunion with the singer Amédée-Louis Hettich, with whom she later had a daughter.
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