Violinist Andrew Wan and pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin began their Analekta recording of the complete Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano (or piano and violin, as originally marked) in 2018 with Nos 6-8, Op 30. On this second volume, they head back to the first three sonatas (Op 12), composed in 1797-98, and the Fifth Sonata (Op 24), known as the Spring, from 1801.

The Canadian musicians treat the Op 12 and Op 24 sonatas with bountiful finesse and discernment, bringing vibrancy to the light-hearted interplay and poetic elegance to passages in which lyricism is paramount. Wan, concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony, plays with a discreet combination of soloistic flair and chamber-music sensitivity, his phrasing always shapely and articulate, his connection with his colleague closely gauged.

Richard-Hamelin, who has recorded several Chopin albums for Analekta, confirms the implications of the sonatas’ piano-violin designation while maintaining sure balances and seamless interaction. In the piano-writing of the Third Sonata that reflects Beethoven’s instrumental virtuosity, Richard-Hamelin fields the lavishly embroidered figures with sophisticated ease.

The Spring, along with the Fourth Sonata, represents a major advance in compositional maturity for Beethoven, both in terms of expressive depth and structural innovation. It is the first of these sonatas with four rather than three movements, and it contains a noble slow movement and ever-so-brief Scherzo showing Beethoven in witty frame of mind. Wan and Richard-Hamelin savour the charm, drama and high spirits that give the Spring a special place among the sonatas.

Throughout the album, the engineering and fine acoustical space, Église St-Augustin in Mirabel, Quebec, enable the musicians’ keen partnership to emerge with crystalline clarity. Based on this release, their final Beethoven instalment will be more than welcome.