Ahhh, the sweet sound of the Romantic (that’s with a capital “R”) violin. These are the sorts of pieces that from the latter 19th century until, oh, sometime in the 1950s were played and taught and loved by almost anyone who enjoyed classical music. Émile Sauret (1852-1920) was a virtuoso—a prodigy who began publicly performing at age eight—who also could write some pretty decent pieces for his instrument, ones that didn’t just show off technique but turned out some fine melodies and showed a capacity for developing ideas into cohesive, attractive miniatures and some extended pieces as well—the Souvenir de Los Angeles, Scherzo fantastique, and the delightful Farfalla (butterfly) that nicely integrates the piano with the violin in a true fantasy of lepidopteran aerobatics.

Michi Wiancko is certainly comfortable in this repertoire, dashing off runs, arpeggios, multiple-stops, and all manner of fancy bowing with the ease we’ve come to expect these days from fearless young performers. But she and her able partner, pianist Dina Vainshtein, really make music out of it all, relishing the style and expressive possibilities whether evoking ringing bells, the “orient”, a gondolier’s song, or, as mentioned, a butterfly. And Wiancko can really dig into or barely alight on a string as required—and at a second’s notice. These works are described as “lyrical, playful, ethereal, and ecstatic,” and that just about describes both the music and the playing here. The sound is excellent too. Terrific!

-- David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com