Once a celebrated virtuoso and composer, but now mostly remembered by devotees of late Romantic violin music, Émile Sauret left a small but attractive body of works for violin and piano, some of which are lovingly presented on this 2011 Naxos release. Performed by violinist
Michi Wiancko and pianist Dina Vainshtein, the pieces are picturesque sketches and character pieces that are a mixture of sentimental melodies with flashy techniques, and their gentleness and piquante charm mark them as parlor pieces of the fin de siècle. Sauret was a world-renowned violinist, and his popularity was widespread at the turn of the 20th century, so it's easy to imagine how such crowd-pleasing pieces as the Scènes villageoises or the Souvenirs d'Orient would be frequently heard in concert. But fans of brilliant violin writing should be most excited about Farfalla and the Scherzo fantastique, two showstoppers that
Wiancko and Vainshtein serve up with extra bravado. While nothing on this album is especially moving or profound, the music is always effervescent and lively, so listeners seeking light diversions with glittery reminiscences of the belle époque will find what they need here.