Robert & Clara Schumann: Violin Concerto, Sonata No.2, Etc

'Another rarity comes on Philippe Graffin's ONYX disc, which couples the Second Violin Sonata with a violin arrangement of the Cello Concerto made by Schumann for Joachim. Once again this is an odd 'hybrid' concerto, the violin rarely being allowed to rise into the singing upper reaches of its range in a work that seems to be beloved of cellists but barely anybody else. Graffin brings a Gallic sweetness to the sonata.' --Gramophone Magazine

'...it is deeply moving to hear a fine violinist like Philippe Graffin throw his heart and soul into something that was once reserved for cellists' --American Record Guide

"Schumann never heard his own cello concert - cello virtuosos were a much rarer breed in his time than now - so his arrangement for violin may have been something of a desperate remedy. Most of it works well enough, especially if you don't know the original, and there are one or two gains. 

The violin-cello dialogues in the slow movement take on a feminine-masculine quality where the cello version sounded entirely male. Violinist Philippe Graffin makes a very appealing case for it...

...Clara Schumann's Three Romances are much more than salon sweatmeats and Graffin and Claire Desert play them elegantly and with feeling. And Robert's own second sonata is played with a fine blend of strength and fragility. So, if Graffin feels like recording the genuine Schumann violin concerto some day..." --BBC Music Magazine, Performance**** Sound ****