The Violin Sonatas

This is - as far as we can ascertain - the first international release on CD of the complete sonatas for violin and piano by Schumann, performed on original instruments. Sonatas nos 1 and 2 have been recorded before, but recordings of the third sonata are very hard to find, since this sonata was never published during Schumann's lifetime and withheld from publication by his widow Clara after Schumann's death, although she herself performed the work several times in concert with the great violinist Joseph Joachim for whom it was written.

The use of period instruments for these marvellous works serves to enhance understanding of the structure of the pieces by giving them the utmost clarity of detail. Johannes Leertouwer and Julian Reynolds have performed these sonatas in concert all over Europe to great critical and public acclaim and the recording does their brilliant interpretations full justice.