Cello Sonata (Rachmaninoff)
Sergei Rachmaninoff's Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19, a sonata for cello and piano, was completed in November 1901[1] and published a year later.
Rachmaninoff disliked calling it a cello sonata because he thought the two instruments were equal.[2] Because of this, it is often referred to as Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano. Most of the themes are introduced by the piano, while they are embellished and expanded in the cello's part.[3]
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[edit] Premiere
He dedicated it to Anatoliy Brandukov, who gave the first performance in Moscow[4] with the composer at the piano, on 2 December 1901. Rachmaninoff seems to have made some last-minute alterations after the premiere, as he wrote the date "12 December 1901" on the score.[1] The sonata was overshadowed by the huge success of his Piano Concerto No. 2, which premiered on 27 October 1901.
[edit] Structure
As typical of sonatas in the Romantic period, it has four movements:
- Lento – Allegro moderato (G minor)
- Allegro scherzando (C minor)
- Andante (E flat major)
- Allegro mosso (G major)
The work takes approximately 30 minutes to perform.[5]
[edit] Arrangements
- Arcadi Volodos transcribed the Andante of this work for piano solo and recorded on Sony Classical.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Classical Archives
- ^ Culshaw, J. (1949). Rachmaninoff. London: Dobson. p. 138.
- ^ Harrison, Max (2006). Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings. London: Continuum. pp. 101–3. ISBN 0-8264-9312-2.
- ^ Norris, Geoffrey (1993). The Master Musicians: Rachmaninoff. New York City: Schirmer Books. pp. 11, 19, 33, 38, 40, 123, 124, 168, 177. ISBN 0-02-870685-4.
- ^ Hinson, Maurice; Wesley Roberts (2006). The Piano in Chamber Ensemble: An Annotated Guide. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University. p. 196. ISBN 0-253-34696-7.
[edit] External links
- Cello Sonata, Op. 19: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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