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I have had my copy of the CD for about 5 days so far and have played it at least once every day. I am very pleased to have purchased it. I quite like all the pieces on the CD, including the old workhorse - Rachmaninov's Vocalise which I am very fond of, providing of course that I don't listen to it too frequently! - but the standout work on this CD for me is indeed the Bortkiewicz Sonata! It does indeed sound like Rachmaninov, especially in the opening movement and as per the liner notes, there is a thematic quote from Rach's second concerto. I was not overly aware of this specific quote but was left in no doubt whatsoever that I was listening to music which clearly at times sounded like Rachmaninov (and it goes without saying that I am a huge Rach fan!). Also in the liner notes - something I  missed initially - was the reference to a quote from Kalinnikov's First Symphony(another composer whose 2 symphonies I return to very often indeed!!!!). Picking up on this reference, I listened again very carefully and there it was at around 3:41 into the first movement and repeated again around 4:20! These references aside, the music is still very much Bortkiewicz! It really is a most impressive work, with moments of drama, lovely lyrical passages and most of all strong and memorable melodies, together with superb playing- a real find and I know I will listen to it often! Thank you Alan and Mark for your recommendations.

Have just placed my order! Looking forward to receiving it as soon as possible. It would be nice to receive it before Christmas but if it doesn't arrive before Christmas  it will be a lovely treat after the festivities!

Have just listened to the sound bites of all pieces on this CD. Was particularly impressed with the Bortkiewicz sonata. Immediately placed my order! Many thanks for the recommendation.

I also have a copy of Res Marty's Raff biography which I was very fortunate to be given as a present and would just like to echo Mark's comments re-the quality and contents of this fascinating new biography. I am at present reading it and it is giving me much pleasure. If I had had to puchase it, I would have paid the price gladly.Although it is of course written in German, hopefully one day, for those who do not speak German, there will be an Engish translation.

Couldn't find sound bites on jpc.de. Gave up search. Have ordered the second hand set on Amazon based on your recommendation, Alan. I am sure I won't be disappointed!

Thank you Alan for your recommendation of the 5 CD Brilliant box of Fauré's chamber music. I am looking at the Amazon site as I type this post. A second hand set in very good condition is going for under £7:00! I think I am going to buy it. Before placing my order, I am going to check out jpc.de for sound bites. Many thanks for the tip.

Having listened merely twice to the sound bites of the second Mel Bonis CD mentioned by Wheesht in this thread, i.e. the Piano Quartets by Mel Bonis and Gabriel Fauré, I have just ordered this CD from mel-bonis.com. I ordered the CD partly for the Mel Bonis work but even more so for the Fauré Piano Quartet No 1 Opus 15. The Fauré work really gabbed my attention straight away and I found the work quite exciting, especially movements 2 and 4! Sound bites can be heard on

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/piano-quartets/hnum/6363859

I am now beginning to really appreciate superb chamber music, much of it discovered on UC! That's not to say that I didn't like chamber music before (there have always been specific pieces that I am really fond of), it's just that I now seem to be discovering so much more of this music that I really like and want to listen to more and more. I have always been first and foremost a lover of symphonic music but UC is constantly enlarging my horizons!!!

Do any members know the Fauré work and what do they think of it? Perhaps this should be a new thread? I would just add that the Mel Bonis work is lovely too but doesn't quite excite me in the way that the Fauré piece does!

The Reicha/Vorisek symphonies CD is another disk I purchased some time ago. I have listened to this CD a number of times and each time, I hugely enjoy the music! Indeed there is very little music from this period in history that I do not enjoy. I do love my Beethoven, Mozart et al and it was quite a discovery to discover Reicha and to a lesser extent Vorisek. I did not know that Reicha was a highly regarded professor at the Paris Conservatoire and taught Berlioz, Liszt and Frank! Highly esteemed during his lifetime, it's surprising that his music is not better known! The two symphonies on this CD complement each other well with Vorisek, a very compact work , contrasting nicely with the looser construction of the Reicha symphony. Of the two symphonies, I prefer the Reicha and know I will return to listen to it often. The noble element of the first movement,followed by a stately second movement, leading to a light-hearted third movement and ending with the dancelike fourth movement ,energetically propelled forward, with a most satisfying conclusion, makes for a most enjoyable listening experience. I am very pleased to have purchased this CD!

A belated reply to my earlier posts in this thread. These days, I listen to so much music, frequently based on UC members recommendations!!!, that I find myself buying new CDs virtually every single week!!!! I then find myself with the pleasant dilemma of deciding what piece of music to listen to and always end up with a backlog of CDs to listen to and then report on as appropriate. In this instance, I purchased the Conlon Bruch symphonies some time ago and listened to them attentively. I had meant to post about them much earlier but, excuse the cliché, better late than never! My overall impressions of the Bruch symphonies are that they are all melodious works, very well orchestrated and should be heard more often. I was very pleased to have followed Alan's urging to purchase this set and know I will come back to them from time to time (especially if I stop buying CDs each week but that's not going to happen!!!). I did give symphony number 2 special attention because of comments made about it. This symphony is unusual in that there is no scherzo (something Bruch was criticised for!) but in spite of this omission, the symphony still works very well for me. As is my practise, when listening to a work that I intend posting about, I made some brief comments. Movement 1: dramatic, bold opening,somewhat sombre in feel, but quite arresting and moving, leading to an imposing conclusion. Movement 2: beautiful, lyrical, delicately scored, also intense and passionate, with a brooding quality to it. Movement 3: builds on movement no 2, becoming more intense and passionate, interspersed with a more light-hearted passage, before finishing in a triumphant, very satisfying conclusion: a wonderful symphony which should be much better known!

A very late posting but many thanks Alan for directing me to these symphonies.

Today I listened to this symphony for the 4th time. It impresses me more each time I listen to it. I fully concur with all the comments made re- this symphony. That said, whilst listening again to this work, I jotted down my feelings in brief on each movement. For me, the opening movement is imposing, stately, and at times quite dramatic, leading to a stirring finish. the second movement is a more solemn affair, not really a funeral march for me, the music alternating between passages that are quite lyrical, even pastoral in feel, leading to a peaceful close. The third movement opens with a slightly faster tempo than movement two, and takes on a gentle, dance like mood, becoming faster and more dramatic in feel, leading to a lyrical close. The fourth movement starts in playful, light-hearted mood, then increasing in intensity, before again taking on a dancelike feel, followed by a more dramatic section with swirling passages, leading to a big, grand finish. What particularly struck me and is evident from my description of each movement, is the change of rhythms within each movement, at times quite abrupt but at the same time, these changes  maintained my interest in the music. None of my comments shed any new light on this symphony but merely confirm what others have said about this symphony in this thread. As has already been pointed out, I was reminded at times of the music of Weber, Schubert and even a little bit of Brahms as well. It certainly is a rewarding symphony to listen to and repays the listener even more on repeated hearings.

Thank you UC for this recommendation.

I am always on the lookout for flute music and this CD caught my eye. I did try to hear sound bites before buying this CD but there weren't any on mel-bonis.com. I also explored the francemusique.fr site (as Wheesht suggested, about one hour into the programme but only got a rough idea of the musique). I did a trawl on Google for Mel Bonis music and came across the following:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hommage-Debussy-Bonis-Odeon-Partos/dp/B000XIJ2SU/ref=sr_1_9?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1415713307&sr=1-9&key

For this CD there are soundbites on both Amazon and also jpc.de. The first work on this CD is a Mel Bonis work "Scènes de la forêt". This work is coupled with a Lazarof work, a Partos work (both entitled Hommage à Debussy) and of course the well known Debussy sonata which served as inspiration for the other 3 works on this CD. I was immediately so impressed by the Mel Bonis work that I  ordered it shortly afterwards and have since been listening to this CD with much enjoyment. I am already very fond of Scènes de la forêt and it is no hardship to have another version of Debussy's sonata. I am though still to get to grips with the Lazorof and Partos works, which, to be honest, impress me less.

Based on what I heard on the Hommage à Debussy disk, I decided to order the Musique de Chambre avec flûte CD anyway. I am very, very pleased that I did so! The mel-bonis.com website is very professional, based in France and I received the CD within 4 days of ordering it. Reading the liner notes I learned that Mel Bonis went to the Paris Conservatory and attended César Frank's classes. One of her classmates was Claude Debussy! From this preamble, the readers on this forum will already have some idea of Mel Bonis's music. Her music is composed with verve, inspiration and finesse and although inspired by Frank and others, still composes with an original voice. To quote the liner notes, her "writing for the flute is fluid, expressive and romantic, as opposed to the piano's offering intense even violent harmonies, creating a clever tension between the two instruments". I fully agree with the first part of this statement but have to say that I did not find the piano writing "violent"!

I am enjoying listening to the music on both CDs very much and if the readers on this forum like Debussy , if they like well writen chamber music for piano, flute and cello/violin, they will like both CDs.

I am going to investigate other Mel Bonis CDs. Thank you Wheesht for this recommendation.

In view of the comments made re this symphony, I have listened to sound bites on Jpc.de and have now placed my order! I eagerly await the CD's arrival. Many thanks for alerting me to this composer.

I rate the music of Jongen very highly indeed and this forthcoming release caught my eye immediately! I have just been listening to the Hyperion sound bites and can't wait to purchase the CD. Pity it's not available to 5 Jan. A must buy for certain!

I have listened to the sound bites on the Vorisek CD of Reicha's Symphony in F major. Very much liked what I heard. Have already ordered the CD which is already in the post to me - can't wait to listen to the whole symphony!

I am very interested in obtaining a copy of the CD of Oriane et le prince d'amour. Thank you Phillip Nones for the information that this work is obtainable from Forgotten Records. I have looked at the Forgotten Records website and also ran a check on the website as well. Do you know how reliable this website is Phillip? Are there any other members on UC who have bought from this supplier? I would appreciate your advice.