Franck & Chopin: Cello Sonatas

Full of memorable tunes and packed with passion and virtuosity, Franck and Chopin’s sonatas place cello and piano on an equal footing (Capuçon and Wang perform a later arrangement of Franck’s original for violin and piano). Both works are perfect vehicles for these two superstars. Wang’s fiery introduction to Franck’s second movement, for instance, sparks a vital urgency in Capuçon’s playing, while Chopin’s skittish Scherzo and lyrical Finale bring cello and piano together in a thrilling meeting of musical minds, the composer’s technical demands worn with lightness and grace. Light relief comes in the form of the final track, Piazzolla’s “Le Grand Tango,” played with white-hot rhythmic energy among its moments of breathtaking tenderness.