Ravel - Debussy: Sonates

The young Canadian violinist Blake Pouliot and his regular piano partner Hsin-I Huang bring great style to two of the greatest of French violin sonatas. Debussy’s very last completed work seems to preview a new, sparer language, less songful and more urgent, with plentiful gazes in the direction of gypsy playing. Pouliot and Huang perform it with character and a genuine feeling of improvisation. Ravel’s Sonata, with its pungent, slinky Blues central movement, is a great piece for display and both players throw themselves into the work with terrific spirit––as they also do with the French composer’s sizzling Tzigane.