"The young Swiss violinist Anna Schultsz has chosen works from the French school for her album. On the piano, she has found an accompanist in the experienced colleague Gérard Wyss, who in terms of security and experience, but also in terms of curiosity and support, has the necessary prerequisites to steer such an undertaking onto a good track. Schultsz, who has been fascinated by playing the violin since her earliest childhood, has at least already made her mark in her home country and is now introducing herself to a larger audience. That she is technically talented may not come as surprise. But beyond that, she knows how to impress with an already distinctive musical design. In the Sonata by Ysaÿe, for example, which concludes the CD, she does not shy away from youthfully intense and also quite artistically accentuated playing, but that is not all: over long stretches she develops the thoughts wrapped up in the music into an eloquent musical presentation. Thus she also lets Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane unfold musically, before considering the virtuoso side. In doing so, she bases her playing on a newly edited version based on several versions, including the one recently discovered at the Palais de Monaco. The sonatas by Franck and the first by Fauré are performed by her in a thoroughly structured manner, which, however, does not leave out the spontaneous components. Even if one may occasionally prefer a more stringent shaping of the bowing in loud and intense passages, this performance is not only coherent in itself, but preferable to many less striking ones. In doing so, it also succeeds in teasing out the different color values and expressions of the temperaments depending on their Belgian or French origin. As already mentioned, Gérard Wyss supports and enlivens the interpretations with his ingenious treatment of the piano part and gives them the complementary colors and impulses for the violin with his keystrokes, which in turn are also played to him. An all-around successful recording that raises expectations for the future."
