Brought up at the turn of the twentieth century in Normandy, home to a galaxy of musical stars which included Satie, Caplet, Honegger, Dupré and Duruflé, the hitherto little known Georges Taconet made his name as a pianist and composer. Reminiscent at times of the gentle melancholy of Fauré or the emotional intensity of Duparc, Taconet’s songs are notable for their poetic atmosphere and exquisite technique. Highlights on this disc include Élégie, which ends in a mood verging on ecstasy as the lovers seem to fuse with the natural elements around them, and L’Attente mystique I, one of the great French mélodies. First performed in 1935, the Sonata in D minor for violin and piano, with its romantic dream-like atmosphere, seems to inhabit the sound world of Ropartz and Ravel.