Mozart Violin & Piano Sonatas Vol. 4
Here we have pure, sweet happiness, two discs for the price of one! The duo Alina Ibragimova (violin) and Cédric Tiberghien (piano) have recorded three previous double-disc albums of Mozart's violin & piano music, every one great, but this one tops them all. Part of it is the tasty, tasty music, none of which I knew. The other part is the playing. Music like this can be ruined by reverence, and often is — by a layer of furniture wax slathered over every surface. But here the character of each phrase is allowed to be itself. It's a case study of the right way to be "serious": in the craft that lets the wit and color wriggle free.

