Let the music speaks – Cello pieces by Brahms
#2 Cello Solo Sonata No.2 in F Major
Brahms was an icon of the Romantic period and wrote many different kinds of music throughout his life, but not many for the cello. In fact, for twenty years after his first cello sonata in E minor, he did not write cello pieces until 1886. During that period, he started spending his summers regularly at the lake in Hofstetten, Switzerland, where he managed to write several sonatas in one go. These included the Violin Sonata in A major and D minor and the controversial Cello Sonata No. 2 Op. 99 in F major, which will be discussed today.
This composition differs considerably from Sonata No. 1. On the one hand, after years of writing, Brahms has moved away from his earlier works and has become bold enough to write in an impassioned style; On the other hand, he had become more familiar with the cello technique and was, therefore, more open to using a variety of playing styles and experimenting with the upper register in order to create a sound quality rarely found in the previous cello work.
As an audience member, my first impression of this Cello Sonata No. 2 is that it is very difficult. What is difficult about it? "In the Cello Sonata, passion rules, fiery to the point of vehemence, now defiantly challenging, now painfully lamenting…" said Hanslick, a well-known music critic at the time. From the beginning of the piece, the fast tempo flashes like thunder and lightning, and the emotion settles into the slow movement before returning to intensity in the finale, and if the passion cannot be played, the character of the work cannot be shown either. Another difficulty lies in the coordination of the piano and cello, as Brahms's syntax is often asymmetrical and the rhythmic combinations complicated so that the two instruments sound a little unbalanced. The piano and the cello are in close contact with each other from the very beginning, and it is another challenge for the performer to balance their tensions without becoming a cacophony of noise.
The complexity and surges of the Cello Sonata No. 2 Op. 99 in F major were also a source of criticism in classical music circles at the time. It was considered by some to be nothing more than a confusion, with no harmony between the instruments and no clear rhythmic or syntactic composition. The truth is, however, that it was not so much a question of Brahms' work as of how the performers overcame the demands of technique. The version by the cellist Jacqeline du Pre and her husband Barenboim is still emotionally rich and the movements are complex and varied, but listening to it you also get a sense of how the two instruments work in harmony with each other. You can listen to the linked version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_REIJroguk) and read the score as you listen and understand Brahms' mind.