But even as Mel Bonis, she found it difficult to circulate anything other than piano pieces and songs — the kinds of pieces that were suitable for home performance. Orchestras were still a man’s world in early 20th century Paris, and despite her success, Bonis wasn’t able to get any of her orchestral music performed. This new album from conductor Rumon Gamba and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra makes a compelling case for Mel Bonis as an orchestral composer. The album puts together a dozen works from the heyday of Mel Bonis’s career, from her return to composing in the 1890s to the outbreak of World War I. “Orchestral Works of Mel Bonis” is available now on the Chandos label.