Beethoven: Complete Sonatas for Piano & Violin

Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 5 is one of his most popular. The first of his sonatas written in four movements, it was given its nickname (“Spring”) after the composer’s death—but due to the sunny nature of the work, it’s not inappropriate. Free-flowing melodies and an amicable interplay of violin and piano, represented equally, make it a pure delight. Isabelle Faust and Alexander Melnikov’s Gramophone Award-winning set of the complete sonatas is not only superb, but it’s also a wonderful example of high-class, sensitive chamber-music-making. Their performance of “Spring” is certainly one of the highlights.