Rockport Music - Cheng² Duo - CELLO SONATA NO. 3, IN A MAJOR, OP. 69 (1807-8)

CELLO SONATA NO. 3, IN A MAJOR, OP. 69 (1807-8)

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized Bonn, Germany, December 17, 1770; d. Vienna, Austria, March 26, 1827)

Composed 1807-8; 27 minutes

Beethoven’s five cello sonatas span his entire creative life. Two belong to his early period (Op. 5), two to his late period (Op. 102), and the A major Sonata (Op. 69), performed tonight, comes from his highly productive middle period. Beethoven was the first major composer to write duo sonatas for cello and piano in which the two instruments, for the most part, act as equal partners. The A major Sonata begins with the cello singing one of Beethoven’s most beautiful melodies. Throughout, a wealth of attention is lavished on both instrumental parts. Each takes the spotlight in turn, their themes dovetailing intricately, with the piano supporting the cello as it soars to a high, eloquent phrase, or with the cello underlining a piano melody. Beethoven extensively revised the sonata late in its composition and the surviving manuscript is one of his most untidy scores, revealing his determination to get matters of balance between the instruments right.

Beethoven composed the sonata in 1807, around the same time as the Fifth and Sixth symphonies. Although its sunny, mellow and generally optimistic mood is cut from the same cloth as that of the Pastoral symphony, the Scherzo shares some of the rhythmic drive and repetition of the Fifth Symphony. This is the only cello sonata to include a Scherzo, and even its swaying, waltz-like trio is obsessively built on just two notes. There is no slow movement in the traditional sense; instead, a lyrical introduction to the finale allows the cello to sing in its expressive tenor register. This brief moment of calm is quickly swept away by the exuberant, joyful finale. The A major Sonata stands as one of Beethoven’s most accomplished chamber works, reaching new heights in the balance and interplay between cello and piano.