In their most recent recorded collaboration, Tasmin Little and Piers Lane deliver some of the finest French examples from the violin and piano repertoire, with a French-inspired Pole thrown in for good measure.

César Franck’s Violin Sonata is a mainstay of the repertoire, exhibiting the composer’s preference for cyclic form – the use of thematic material across all movements. What’s special about the Sonata is that Franck’s compositional technicalities never eclipse the music’s dramatic and communicative nature.

Little’s rendering of the opening Allegretto is perfection, with gorgeously light and silky bow strokes balanced with a more robust, powerful tone as the music approaches its climactic goals. Lane’s touch is sensitive, and matches Little’s colour range perfectly. The pair lets loose in the second and final movements, but Little’s recitativo in the third movement makes for a real moment of focus in the performance, and is probably the highlight.

The Romance in B Flat by Gabriel Fauré is a beautiful divertissement in this recording. Little conjures the most stunning of reveries with this lyrical gem, offering a limpid tone that invokes a soothing calm, even during the more...