Brahms & Franck: Violin Sonatas

Anne-Sophie Mutter was already a recording studio veteran by the time she made this album at the age of 19. She’s joined here by the Bulgarian-born pianist Alexis Weissenberg, whose sensitive artistry and poetic phrasing ideally complement the impassioned playing of his much younger companion. Their partnership blossoms in César Franck’s Violin Sonata, inspired by the work’s highly charged blend of Romanticism and Classical craft, and grows in the richness of its expressive shading and insights in Brahms’ three lyrical violin sonatas, especially so in the mellifluous melodies of the second of the set and heart-on-sleeve drama of the Sonata No. 3 in D minor. Spatial Audio remastering brings violin and piano into balance as never before in this recording, drawing the listener deep into their rich musical dialogue.