Adrien François Servais, dubbed the ‘Paganini of the cello’, collaborated with three of the greatest violin virtuosi of his time, the Belgians Joseph Ghys, Henry Vieuxtemps and Hubert Léonard, to create the six duets for violin and cello heard on this disc.

Whether based on the British national anthem or Yankee Doodle, on music by Beethoven or Meyerbeer, or on original themes, these duets abound in virtuosic demands including double stops, harmonics, simultaneous cadenzas and astonishing passage work, generating almost orchestral textures which embody the Romantic love of display and heightened emotionalism.