Cello sonatas

[Dave2002]

Having started to check out lesser known music by Saint-Saëns I decided to listen to the cello sonatas. I have found them a bit difficult to come to terms with, though I will perhaps perservere for a while. I thought I'd also try to acquaint myself with Fauré's cello sonatas. I have earlier heard them played by Stephen Isserlis, but I have to admit that I also found them a bit tough, and also not, so far, memorable. Again, I need to stick with the plan and give them a fair airing. Sometimes, though not by any means always, I feel that cello sonatas give a rather sombre or lugubrious feeling which is not conducive to repeat listening.

Apart from Beethoven and Brahms who else has written cello sonatas of note? I have heard Rachmaninov's a few times, and I also tried Chopin's.
Obviously Debussy's is a good one (well, I think so) and I was wrong to forget Mendelssohn. I also recall liking one by Dohnanyi and one by Kodaly.

A little further investigation reveals works by Barber, and of course the "usual suspects" Hindemith and Martinu - who wrote 3.

Some other composers wrote solo cello sonatas - for example Ligeti.

So - are there some real gems I've missed in the cello repertory?

[Tevot]

Having started to check out lesser known music by Saint-Saëns I decided to listen to the cello sonatas. I have found them a bit difficult to come to terms with, though I will perhaps perservere for a while. I thought I'd also try to acquaint myself with Fauré's cello sonatas. I have earlier heard them played by Stephen Isserlis, but I have to admit that I also found them a bit tough, and also not, so far, memorable. Again, I need to stick with the plan and give them a fair airing. Sometimes, though not by any means always, I feel that cello sonatas give a rather sombre or lugubrious feeling which is not conducive to repeat listening.

Apart from Beethoven and Brahms who else has written cello sonatas of note? I have heard Rachmaninov's a few times, and I also tried Chopin's.
Obviously Debussy's is a good one (well, I think so) and I was wrong to forget Mendelssohn. I also recall liking one by Dohnanyi and one by Kodaly.

A little further investigation reveals works by Barber, and of course the "usual suspects" Hindemith and Martinu - who wrote 3.

Some other composers wrote solo cello sonatas - for example Ligeti.

So - are there some real gems I've missed in the cello repertory?

Hello there,

I'd certainly agree with you about the Debussy. I first heard it on record coupled with the Britten Cello Sonata played by its dedicatee Rostropovich. I think it - the Britten - is worth giving a spin too

On Youtube there's a performance by Mischa Maisky - and I'm sure there must be others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N16rHwKLifs

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[Suffolkcoastal]

Martinu's 3rd Sonata is one of my favourite Martinu works, it really is a lovely work. The Brahms sonatas are particularly fine works. There are also sonatas by Weinberg, Miaskovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, the Schubert 'Aprgeggione Sonata'which is normally played on the cello, Rubbra, Moeran (a particular favourite of mine), Bax, Foerster, Grieg (a fine work) and Carter (one of his finest works). That should do for starters!

[amateur51]

Hello there,

I'd certainly agree with you about the Debussy. I first heard it on record coupled with the Britten Cello Sonata played by its dedicatee Rostropovich. I think it - the Britten - is worth giving a spin too

On Youtube there's a performance by Mischa Maisky - and I'm sure there must be others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N16rHwKLifs

Best Wishes,

Tevot

Here are Gutman & Richter in a less resonant (too boxy?) acoustic ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fftlLJLLEI

[ahinton]

Off the top of my head I would add to suffokcoastal's large and persuasive list the sonatas of Ireland, Pierné, four by Reger, Martucci, Gerhard (although this is a reworking of and earlier sonata for viola and piano), Bridge, Bennett (Richard Rodney), Alkan, Foulds, Magnard, Vierne, Alexandrov (one of his last works), Strauss, two each by Enescu, Roslavets, Myaskovsky, Vermeulen, Ropartz and Ornstein (and whilst it's not my place to recommend the one by yours truly, I hope that I might be permitted at least to mention it)...

[Lento]

2 curiosities: Sonata in D by Jenner, pupil of Brahms and Reinecke's cello sonatas (the first best), researched, edited and recorded by Manuel Fischer-Dieskau, son of you-know-who.

[Suffolkcoastal]

I've just been listening to the attractive 2nd Sonata by Robert Fuchs, though its key E flat minor is a rather tricky one for strings. There is also a Duo by Walter Piston which rather severe in manner and Roy Harris wrote a Sonata, though I've not as yet heard this, just the later ill-advised revision and shortening as the Duo. I also have the pleasant sonata by the American Arthur Foote and the Sonata by the unjustly neglected Alan Rawsthorne.

[ahinton]

the Sonata by the unjustly neglected Alan Rawsthorne.

Ah, yes! - that's one that I should have remembered!

[verismissimo]

Bach.

[Bryn]

Bach.

I only know the solo suites, were the sonatas not for viola da gamba and harpsichord?

[Richard Barrett]

I only know the solo suites, were the sonatas not for viola da gamba and harpsichord?

Of course the solo repertoire for cello (with/without piano, but particularly without) has massively expanded since the middle of the 20th century, but very few of the resulting works are called sonatas (or suites for that matter).

[ahinton]

Of course the solo repertoire for cello (with/without piano, but particularly without) has massively expanded since the middle of the 20th century, but very few of the resulting works are called sonatas (or suites for that matter).

Indeed, that's correct, of course - although, since the thread's about cello sonatas per se, I think that there are plenty to consider, as various posts in it have already suggested...

[Bryn]

The Kodaly solo cello sonata has already been mentioned, but if we are including cello and piano sonatas, shy not also those for cello and violin, again Kodaly, plus Ravel (ah no, the former is simply a "duo").

[EdgeleyRob]

Most of my favourites already mentioned
I love the two Stanford Sonatas,the first a student work,very Mendelssohnian,the second pure CVS.
As well as 2 sonatas for Cello and Piano,Weinberg wrote 4 for solo Cello.
For me the Ireland Sonata is one of the most beautiful of all chamber music pieces,the heartwrenching slow movement is a killer.

[clive heath]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4-iRjLP8Fs

will give you Delius' Cello sonata with Julian LL-W and Pam Chowhan whose performance in Ealing recently I attended. Pam, bless her, pedalled the piano to within an inch of its life which muddied the sonorities somewhat, I leave you to judge how it works here!