By presenting the sonatas in chronological order, the disc provides a pithy and fascinating, if naturally misleading, glimpse at the progression of Mozart's compositional style. The earliest work, of 1764, is sophisticated (given that the composer was eight years old when he wrote it) but comparatively unadventurous, whereas the last work presented, of 1787 and the composer's penultimate work in the medium, is masterful and inspired. I would have preferred the C and A major sonatas to be alternated, thus providing musical contrast, but there is nothing wrong with the approach taken here.

Accompanied by Michael Pfaender on the cello, violinist Annette Unger and pianist Brunhild Webersinke perform each work with dedication. However, there were times while listening to this disc that I noticed a certain stylistic incongruity between the two players. Webersinke's touch on the piano is light and graceful - even in the fiendish runs of KV 526's third movement, where the keyboard virtuosity is outstanding, never outlandish - while Unger provides a more pointed, fiery and overtly dramatic touch.

Both styles work well in this music, and both performers are so skilled that they truly convince of their own interpretation: the pianist's spherical, delicate phrasing and subtlety of articulation provide just as much drama as the violinist's purposeful, sometimes deliberately brash bowing. But together, the styles seem opposed, the players more concerned with perfecting their own interpretations than providing a homogenous balance between voices. Take the first track on the CD, the Allegro of the KV 14 sonata, to hear the smooth, lilting pulses of the piano, and the gritty intensity of the violin.

Admittedly, I exaggerate the contrast of styles, for Webersinke provides her share of high Romantic drama (listen to KV 303's Menuetto), and Unger, for all the impetuosity of her touch, remains fully faithful to the Mozartian line, never overdosing on blandly expressive legato, preferring to state each note cleanly and accurately, undefiled by intrusions of false sentiment. And one can only be thrilled by the very tight ensemble maintained throughout by the three musicians, each line firmly melded to its counterparts.

The disc concludes with a greatly exciting performance of the A major sonata, KV 526, which must surely be regarded as one of the masterpieces of the medium. The players display the same wide expressive range that characterises their performance across the disc, drawing bright instrumental colours from the animated Molto Allegro and the increasingly tempestuous Presto. In between, the Andante (a gloriously ambiguous movement, its main theme tending to sound both darkly ominous and like a lullaby) is lovingly caressed, the players careful to vary their thematic presentation across the movement's ten minute running time.

Here is a beautiful release, and though the players' contrast of sounds can be distracting, the care and attention given to Mozart's music is more than adequate compensation.

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