Their recording of Beethoven’s complete works has just come to a close with the release of their third CD devoted to Beethoven’s Sonatas for violin and piano. If you deal with this impressive chapter of the chamber literature and a “must” for a long-lived duo like Francesca Dego and Francesca Leonardi, recording it for Deutsche Grammophon renders it an extraordinary undertaking. The CDs recorded for the prestigious German label were met with enthusiastic approval from the press, that recognised the two musicians’ astounding maturity and interpretive depth.
What highlights their value is not only the success of their long artistic path, but also the dazzling ascent of their respective solo careers. It is not by chance if Salvatore Accardo defines Francesca Dego as one of the most extraordinary talents he has ever met and praises Mrs. Leonardi for her “pure and fascinating” musicality, as well as for her impeccable technique.
FRANCESCA DEGO, violin
FRANCESCA LEONARDI, piano
« Francesca Dego and Francesca Leonardi, taken singularly,
are two wonderful instrumentalists: from the musical gestures
of the first, to the great technique subservient
to the musical expression of the latter. Together, they form a beautiful
wonderfully balanced and harmonious Duo, where ideas
transmigrate seamlessly from one musician to the other, in a way that
makes it difficult to understand from whom they originate. »
Fabio Bardelli, OperaClick
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (Bonn, 1770 - Vienna, 1827)
Sonata per violino e pianoforte in la maggiore n. 9 op. 47 “Kreutzer”
OTTORINO RESPIGHI (Bologna, 1879 - Roma, 1936)
Sonata per violino e pianoforte in si minore
MAURICE RAVEL (Ciboure, 1875 - Parigi, 1937)
Tzigane