Janine Jansen & Denis Kozhukhin

They found one gem after another and settled on five wonderful works for violin and piano in which the artists can indulge to the full. From Schumann's passionate First Violin Sonata and Brahms' lovely Second, to Ravel's Bleus. Poulenc is the big surprise with a work, dedicated to Federico Garcia Lorca, that oscillates between witty passages and moving sincerity.

Before the intermission, German, after the intermission, French. Schumann wrote two passionate, romantic violin sonatas towards the end of his short life. Not long after, Brahms composed his trio. In the second, he incorporated the lovely melodies from his songs "Wie Melodien zieht es mir leise durch den Sinn" and "Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer" – lending the sonata an incredible warmth. Besides witty passages, Poulenc strikes a more serious tone; composed during wartime, he dedicated it to the poet Federico Garcia Lorca, murdered by the Spanish regime. Ecstasy is the key concept for Messiaen's Theme with Variations from 1932; a very early work by the composer. Ravel's sonata is one of the most beloved violin sonatas ever composed by a Frenchman, featuring a blissful blues in the second movement.