Les Soirees d'Auteuil is the seventh and final composition in the French 19th-century gUitarist Napoleon Coste's opus 23. All of them are 'titled' and may have been written to be played as a complete cycle of pieces, although, as this one proves, they are worthy enough to be performed as standalone works. The composition is in two sections and begins with a relatively lengthy Serenade, which is, as one would expect, a tuneful and pleasing-on-the-ear work which is followed by a highly contrasting Scherzo, an energetic, melodic piece which uses the usual suspects of pyrotechnics up and around the fingerboard. For anyone of advanced ability interested in this period of guitar music this would maybe make a good choice for inclusion in any programming.
Steve Marsh (Classical Guitar Magazine)
