Violinist Maxim Vengerov and pianist Martha Argerich perform Franck Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major at the Château de Chantilly as part of the Festival Les Coup de Cœur in June 2021.

’This is a performance which I treasure dearly and it was just such a pleasure being able to make music with her [Argerich] on stage’ commented Vengerov.

The sonata was written in 1886 when César Franck was 63, as a wedding present for the Belgian violinist Eugene Ysaÿe. What a gift - not only for the violinist, but the musical world!

Look out for a Franck Sonata Masterclass in a future edition of The Strad…