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Violinist Renaud Capuçon and pianist Khatia Buniatishvili: two charismatic virtuosi who fill the world’s great concert halls as soloists, but who also thrive on the intimacy of chamber music with distinguished collaborators (Renaud with his cellist brother Gautier and with Martha Argerich; Khatia with violinist Gidon Kremer).

It was living legend Martha Argerich, Capuçon’s frequent duo partner and Khatia’s mentor, who played musical matchmaker and brought these two brilliant performers together and the friendship stuck; they have played together ever since, their concerts at Lugano Festival in 2012 a resounding success.

The pair began to build a programme around Franck’s beloved Violin Sonata in A Major, hitting on the fact that the year in which it was composed, 1886-87, was a very good year for the violin and piano. They added to their repertoire two other works composed within the same period. These two kindred musicians bring out all the stormy passion of Edvard Grieg’s Sonata No. 3 in C minor, relishing the sparkling dance rhythms of the last movement, Allegro animato – Prestissimo. The album concludes with the yearning lyricism of Antonín Dvořák’s Four Romantic Pieces, drawing to a close Capuçon and Buniatishvili’s exploration of a truly remarkable year for chamber music.