Today's audiences are leery of the long and the obscure, and the desire for the short and familiar pieces is expertly nourished by the Seattle Violin Virtuosi — a 3-year-old ensemble of 12 excellent local violinists and Seattle Symphony pianist Victoria Bogdashevskaya. This ensemble, founded and headed by the symphony's assistant principal second violinist Michael Miropolsky, follows a venerable Russian tradition of violin orchestras performing miniature concert gems, such as the repertoire on this very enjoyable CD: Bach's Air on the G String, a Rachmaninoff Prelude, Ravel's "Pavane for a Dead Princess," Prokofiev's March from "The Love for Three Oranges," Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" (in an imaginative turn with Rob Tucker, marimba) and plenty more.

The Violin Virtuosi, who are heard regularly in Seattle-area concerts, play with seamless clarity and evident enjoyment. Beautifully engineered by Al Swanson, a local byword for quality.