Camille Saint-Saëns: Le Cygne (The Swan) [Transcription by Leopold Godowsky]
Claude Debussy: Poissons d'or (Goldfish)
Olivier Messiaen:
- La Colombe (The Dove) from Preludes for piano
- Le Loriot (The Golden Oriole) from Catalogue d'oiseaux
Enrique Granados: Quejas ó la Maja y el Ruiseñor (The Maiden and the Nightingale)
Maurice Ravel: Noctuelles (Night Moths)
William Bolcom: Butterflies, hummingbirds
Béla Bartók:
- From the Diary of a Fly
- The Night's Music & The Chase (from Out of Doors)
Robert Schumann: Vogel als Prophet (Bird as Prophet)
Franz Liszt: St. Francis of Assisi - The Sermon to the Birds
Heitor Villa-Lobos: O Boizinho de chumbo (The Little Lead Bull)
Henry Cowell: Tiger
William Bolcom:
- Tabby Cat Walk
- The Serpent's Kiss - Rag Fantasy
Nicolay Rimsky-Korsakov: The Flight of the Bumblebee [Transcription by Sergei Rachmaninov)

This menagerie of assorted piano works depicting the fantastical imagery of various animals and insects covers a wide ranging panoply of styles and techniques, and makes for a comprehensive insight into how composers from different eras perceived the natural order of things. It captures the underwater world, the spirit of flight, as well as the ferocious and domesticated nature of wild animals. The only example missing would be a piece about the poor elephant who sacrificed his tusks for the ivory piano keys. It also well demonstrates the extensive range of expressive touches pianist Hsiang Tu can bring to the instrument.

For example, there's a world of difference between the ragtime levity of the Tabby Cat Walk and the wild audacity of Tiger. Or the fluid impressionism of Poissons d'or compared to the romantic idealism of Schumann's Vogel als Prophet. Hsiang Tu just as well captures the Andalusian flavor of Granados or the hot Brazilian rhythm of Villa-Lobos. And let's not forget the highly technical demands the two pieces that bookend this collection impose on the performer. Leopold Godowsky's impressive transcriptions are known for their flair and virtuosity, and for doubling up on the difficulty level. His version of Le Cygne, with hundreds of notes like the swirling waters supporting the swan's graceful movements, demand a flawlessly nuanced and elastic phrasing by the pianist, and Hsiang Tu delivers. And the light as air speed and dexterity, the darting to and fro required for the Flight of the Bumblebee to come across as intended is well achieved here. In other words, Hsiang Tu's expressive perspective is always commensurate with the work at hand.

Let's hope that this debut solo CD by Taiwanese pianist Hsiang Tu is a harbinger of more to come.