Debussy: Violin Sonata

“Some might find the medium-paced, relatively wide vibrato of flutist Doriot Anthony Dwyer mildly distracting, but these 1970s performances are as expertly played as they are beguiling engineered.” BBC Music Magazine, April 2007 ***

“Kyung-Wha Chung's classic recording, made in London in 1977, has been a favourite since it first saw the light of day on LP in 1980. There is a freshness to her playing that conveys the free-flowing ease of the music, with melodies beautifully shaped and rhythms lithe. She maintains a particularly fluid relationship with her pianist, Radu Lupu, who revels in the fact that Franck's keyboard part is no mere accompaniment but an equally virtuoso and essential element of the whole.” The Telegraph, 21st June 2008 (on Frank's Violin Sonata)

“Here we have masterpieces from the French tradition in excellent performances that have won the status of recording classics. Kyung-Wha Chung and Radu Lupu are a fine duo who capture and convey the deli- cacy and poetry of the Franck Sonata as well as its rapturous grandeur, and never can the strict canonic treatment of the great tune in the finale have sounded more spontaneous and joyful. They are no less successful in the different world of the elusive Sonata which was Debussy's last work, with its smiles through tears and, in the finale, its echoes of a Neapolitan tarantella. The 1977 recording is beautifully balanced, with a natural sound given to both the violin and piano.
The Melos Ensemble recorded the Ravel Introduction and Allegro 15 years before, but here too the recording is a fine one for which no allowances have to be made even by ears accustomed to good digital sound; as for the work itself, this has an ethereal beauty that's nothing short of magical and Osian Ellis and his colleagues give it the most skilful and loving performance.
A wonderful disc and a must-buy.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Faure-lovers have long prayed for a CD reissue of the two sonatas from Grumiaux and Paul Crossley. And they won't be disappointed. The sound itself is pleasing-better, even, than I remember it on LP. And there is a radiance in the playing suggesting an unerring understanding of structure and style that somehow goes hand in hand with the joyous spontaneity of new discovery. The hyper-sensitive suppleness of Grumiaux's shading and phrasing is a particular delight, as is his awareness that just as much of the musical message comes from the piano-particularly in the Second Sonata. As for Crossley, not for nothing has he come to be recognized as one of this country's most dedicated Faure specialists. It would certainly be difficult to over-praise the subtlety of the two artists' interplay in both works” Gramophone Magazine