While this is a fairly random selection of the chamber works of French composer Louise Farrenc, it is also a fairly convincing selection. The Nonette for winds and strings is a warm and charming work, the Trio for clarinet, cello, and piano is a lush and soulful work, the Variations concertantes for violin and piano is a vigorous and virtuosic work, and the Mélodie plus the pair of Études for solo piano are, as one might expect from the foremost French woman pianist of the nineteenth century, brilliant and beguiling works. Recorded live at the Louvre in January 2005 with a host of first-rate French players, the performances are as expressive as the sound is impressive. Brigitte Engerer, the pianist for three of the four works that require a pianist, is as superb a soloist in the Mélodie as she is an accompanist in the Trio and the Variations, and the rest of the players, especially violinist Guillaume Sutre and clarinetist Romain Guyot, are all equally fine. And Naïve's live sound is fresh, clear, and open. While these recordings may not change the course of mighty rivers or lower the price of gasoline, they will nevertheless delight listeners looking for unfamiliar but terrific nineteenth century chamber music. ~ James Leonard, AMG

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