| Price: Sek. 170 (SACD) |
Both of the Sonatas for Piano and Violoncello of Johannes Brahms are milestones in his stylistic development, from the first formation of an unmistakable identity to the composer's late autumnal style. The completion of the Sonata No. 1 in E minor in 1865 took place during a phase in Brahms's life during which he discovered Vienna as a place conducive to his creativity. The E minor Sonata also reflects Brahms's attraction to the baroque tradition - the final movement consists of a dry-sounding fugal exposition based on the Contrapunctus 13 of J.S. Bach. Combined with a songlike second theme, Brahms integrates fugal technique into the sonata form with great mastery.
Brahms wrote the Sonata No. 2 in F major in 1886, over twenty years later. Crucial years in his life lie between the two sonatas. Although he was very popular as a composer and conductor on an international scale at this time, his Second Cello Sonata was long considered unpalatable by cellists.
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