Violin and piano were close to Mendelssohn's heart throughout his life, and the composer brought them together from his earliest years. The complete works for both instruments recorded here, a mixture of early and mature pieces, are fascinating in many ways. It bears witness to Mendelssohn's formative years, while at the same time allowing us to glimpse the development of an exceptional musical sensibility. Although the latter is well known, listening to the sublime, melancholy delicacy of the Sonata in F minor, MWV Q12, or the facetiousness of the Concerto for violin and piano, one is still surprised by the expressive maturity and artistry of a Mendelssohn who was barely 14.

Accompanied with freshness and vitality by the Orchestre des Jeunes de la Suisse romande, Sylviane Deferne and Denitsa Kazakova offer all the conviction and brio demanded by this first true complete works for violin and piano by Mendelssohn!