Franck: Violin Sonata / Brahms: Horn Trio

The violinist Itzhak Perlman was just 23 when he recorded this coupling of Franck’s Violin Sonata and Brahms’ Horn Trio in 1968, and it cemented his early reputation as a major talent. Together with pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy Perlman catches evocatively the languid sensuality of the Franck sonata’s opening movement, and summons waves of passionate intensity in the work’s final-movement “Allegretto.” For Brahms’ Horn Trio the pair are joined by the Australian player Barry Tuckwell, then at the beginning of an illustrious career as a soloist. The three dovetail eloquently together in a memorable reading of the Trio’s introspective slow movement, and a scampering account of the exuberant “Finale” sets the seal on this classic chamber music issue.