Fresh from her distinguished three-disc survey of Couperin, Angela Hewitt turns her attention to the piano music of Emmanuel Chabrier. An important influence for subsequent generations of French composersmost notably Ravel, who acknowledged his debt to the older composerChabriers music was appreciated more by his fellow artists than by the public. His best worksnotwithstanding the popularity of his evergreen orchestral rhapsody Espanadeserve to be better known. Chabrier was a sensitive soul, prone to weep on hearing a single chord of Wagner, yet he cultivated a gaiety and sense of joy that is clearly heard in his music. As one biographer wrote: With Chabrier, burlesque went hand in hand with the sentimental; the picturesque was allied to the emotional. Chabriers passion for painting was unmatched by any other composer, and he was friends with important artists of the day, including Manet, Monet, Sisley, Cezanne and Renoir. He had many of their paintings on his walls, and Manets celebrated A Bar at the Folies-Bergrereproduced on the front cover of this recordinghung above his piano. Chabriers most important works are for the piano. The ten contrasting and evocative Pices pittoresques form the centrepiece of this recording, and were described by Poulenc as being as important for French music as the preludes of Debussy. The remaining works are charming and varied character pieces. All are played with style and affection by Angela Hewitt, who with her renowned warmth and communicative flair makes a very special case for this music.