More Sauret from Nazrin Rashidova

As a refugee from the current horror of British politics, I seized with glee a new CD where the immensely talented Azeri violinist, Nazrin Rashidova, plays the third volume of Emile Sauret's Opus 64 études-caprices. As I have remarked before (when commenting on the first two volumes) Sauret's works for solo violin demand first-rate virtuosity, but not showmanship virtuosity as required by many of the solo violin works of Paganini or Ernst. Not many circus tricks with Sauret. Rashidova is probably the ideal interpreter of these genial études-caprices.

We live in a golden age for those who like serious music. In Britain and America more and more concert halls seem to be going over to entertainment / showbiz music, rather than to the age-old great music of previous generations. Since in my long life I have only briefly lived in or near large cities, I have almost always been dependent on recorded or broadcast music. When I grew up in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, hour-long recordings of solo violin works by Sauret were completely inconceivable, and unobtainable. In the current era, thanks mainly to the plethora of small recording companies, so much music outside the classical A Group is now at one's fingertips. As usual, we have the admirable Naxos company to thank for Rashidova's recordings of Sauret. Excellent recording quality, to boot. Strongly recommended, especially for lovers of fine violin playing and lovely violin music.