Beethoven: Violin Sonatas in A (Kreutzer) and E flat

It opens like a Bach solo, unfolds like a symphony, and finally sweeps all before it with titanic power: Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata is one of the miracles of the repertory (as Tolstoy's homage acknowledged), and is here freshly reimagined by Mullova. Her tense, wiry sound combines ideally with the 1822 piano that Bezuidenhout can pound to its very limits without overwhelming her; there is beautiful use of the quiet dampened register, which, combined with pizzicato violin, sounds magical. The much earlier E flat Sonata is perky and driven, with a hilarious final rondo that hints at Beethoven's revolutions to come.