The pairing of Fritz Kreisler and Sergey Rachmaninov was one of those unlikely-looking phenomena which make human relations so rewarding and unpredictable. Despite Kreisler’s warm-hearted, rather indolent character and Rachmaninov’s cool perfectionism, they got on famously and were great admirers of each other’s art. They were persuaded by their manager to make these joint recordings. Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 8 took 3 days to record in 27 takes. A second performance, included here, has been constructed from approved vinyl test pressings which were kept as back-ups. For the Grieg Sonata though, all but the best of 31 takes were destroyed.