Search - Francaix, Milhaud, Israelievitch :: Suite Francaise/Sonatine/Les Printemps

Jacques Israelievitch is concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony. He has put together a fascinating and varied recital of French and French-Canadian violin music, well selected, ingeniously programmed, and very well performed. The disc opens with the bouncy Toccata by Roger Boutry, followed by the largest piece on the disc, the master confectioner Jean Françaix's Sonatine, followed by Lili Boulanger's exquisite Notturno. And so it goes, one interesting piece following another--except for the one nuisance, Weber's Cadential, a solo violin piece that attempts to demonstrate how ugly the instrument can sound. Skip it, and the remainder is truly delightful. --Leslie Gerber