Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 6, 7 & 8

Concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for 10 years prior to this release, Andrew Wan has also regularly appeared as a soloist and chamber musician. Joined here by one of the most exciting pianists to have come out of Canada during the 2010s, Charles Richard-Hamelin, he plays three of Beethoven’s sonatas for piano and violin—and does so gloriously. This is very classy chamber musicianship and both players strike sparks off each other; leaning into the phrases, they seem to breathe as one. The C Minor (No. 7) is the highlight here, its large-scale vision beautifully embraced.