Thanks to the tireless efforts of a number of exemplary performers in recent years – not least pianist Mark Viner – the not insubstantial output for piano of Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944) is more widely available than ever before. Before I heard Viner’s album, I was familiar only with her much more well-known (and wonderful) Flute Concertino Op 107, but her piano compositions have been a fresh and joyful discovery. In each of her finely-crafted Romances sans Paroles Op 76 she conjures compelling moods, each overflowing with lyrically romantic beauty and pianistic invention.
It is to the final work of the set, Méditation, that I devote this article. It is technically accessible to most amateurs, although, as with many romantic miniatures, it opens the door to an exciting adventure into musical imagination. Have a listen to the whole set – you will in any event not be disappointed, but as performance prep, hearing Méditation in its endmost position in the suite illuminates interpretation. Méditation
