Toru Kawakami, Iku Miwa Brahms & Franck

Sergey Khachatryan’s fifth recording on Naïve, and second with his sister, is dedicated to the three luminous and deeply romantic sonatas for violin and piano by Johannes Brahms. Spread over ten years, from 1878 to 1888, the three sonatas are contemporary with his four symphonies and are flanked by the Violin Concerto in D major (1878) and the Double Concerto for violin and cello in A minor (1887).

Playing together for the first time for Hyperion, Hough and Isserlis are stunningly matched in this large-scale passionate romantic programme. The sonatas stand at the centre of the meaty repertoire established by Brahms - whose two cello sonatas Steven Isserlis has recorded for us in an awardwinning disc accompanied by Peter Evans (CDA66159) - and characterised by grand sweeping gestures, lush melody, and heartfelt emotions that sear from pathos to frenzy. The Franck is, of course, an alternative version the composer wished for his violin sonata, a transition that many feel to be the work's happiest incarnation.

Franck Pourcel & his Grand Orchestra.
French violinist Franck Pourcel is best-known for his jazzy string arrangements of pop hits, as well as his lush easy listening arrangements and film scores.
By 1958, Pourcel started recording classical music. His series of Pages Célèbres led him to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra, The Society of Concerts for the Conservatoire, The BBC Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, and the Lamoureux Orchestra at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.

Franck Pourcel & his Grand Orchestra.
French violinist Franck Pourcel is best-known for his jazzy string arrangements of pop hits, as well as his lush easy listening arrangements and film scores.
By 1958, Pourcel started recording classical music. His series of Pages Célèbres led him to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra, The Society of Concerts for the Conservatoire, The BBC Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, and the Lamoureux Orchestra at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.