Itzhak Perlman is celebrating his 70th birthday with multiple reissues of his vast catalogue and this new recording – his first solo release for 16 years and his first-ever with his longtime platform partner Emanuel Ax. This is vintage, songful Perlman: each line in the Fauré and Strauss sonatas is beautifully drawn and meticulously judged and everything overlain with an attractive patina of age and experience. Ax imbues the romance and fire of these youthful works with genuine warmth and wisdom; it’s as though these two veteran performers are taking a wistful look back over long and eventful careers, while still excited by the possibilities to come. A disc to treasure.
