Contrary to what you might think, there have been several CDs devoted entirely to the piano music of Cécile Chaminade. Not the least of these is one of all the (G&T) discs and (Duo-Art) piano rolls she herself made of her music between 1901 and 1927, issued on the Pierian Recording Society label. Joanne Polk (Steinway & Sons) and Johann Blanchard (MDG, 7/15) are just two of the most recent. This new survey, sharing some repertoire with each, must count among the finest yet, showing the range and ambition of Chaminade in short works, played with an innate charm and understanding of the genre. In addition, it is most beautifully recorded (Pieter van Winkel and Peter Arts in Westvest Church, Schiedam, Netherlands) with an informative, well-written 10-page booklet by the pianist.

Three of Chaminade’s perennial favourites are included: Pierrette, air de ballet (one of the items Chaminade recorded in 1901 and wittily dispatched by Viner), La lisonjera (‘The Flatterer’, in a properly sly, insinuating reading) and ‘Automne’ (once found in every piano stool in the land, despite its five flats) placed here with its seldom-heard companions as the second of the Six Études de concert. The last of these, ‘Tarantelle’, is a test of agility and stamina for any pianist. Not every single one of the four Poème provençal and Six Romances sans paroles will have equal appeal, but even those who sniff at Chaminade and others like her, forever condemned to sit below the salt on account of being labelled ‘a salon music composer’, will find it hard not to fall for the elegance and melodic appeal of, say, ‘Élévation’ and ‘Méditation’ (Nos 2 and 6 from the latter set).

Mark Viner’s earlier single-composer recordings of Thalberg, Liszt and Alkan have earned him high praise. Ploughing your own furrow, eschewing the competition route and avoiding the staple repertoire of your peers (though you have most of it in your fingers) undoubtedly makes the path to international recognition more difficult. Someday, in the not too distant future, someone will sit up and take note of what an exceptional talent we have in our midst.