The Sonatas for cello and piano No. 4 in C major, Op. 102, No. 1, and No. 5 in D major, Op. 102, No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven were composed simultaneously in 1815 and published in 1817 with a dedication to the Countess Maria von Erdödy, a close friend and confidante of Beethoven's.
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These two compositions were written by the composer during the period from the end of 1812 until 1817, during which time Beethoven, ailing and overcome by all sorts of difficulties, experienced a period of literal and figurative silence as his deafness became overwhelmingly profound and his productivity diminished.
Sonatas Nos. 4 and 5 were composed seven years after his Cello Sonata No. 3 and clearly belong to Beethoven’s last creative period. His use of the fugue in the conclusion of Sonata No. 5 is moreover an unmistakable hallmark of this period in Beethoven’s creative life. A fugue is similarly noteworthy in the finale of his Hammerklavier Sonata, his Ninth Symphony and his late string quartets, all justly celebrated works from Beethoven’s final period. Sonatas Nos. 4 and 5 are also notable for the complexity of their composition and their visionary character.
The critics of the time, often perplexed by Beethoven’s last compositions, described the sonatas in terms such as the following from the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung (reproduced In: Massin J et B, Beethoven, Fayard, 1967, p. 682):
Although played less often than Sonata No. 3, Sonatas Nos. 4 and 5 are now essential elements in the basic repertory of works for cello and piano.
This sonata consists of two movements :
This sonata consists of three movements :
In a plentiful discography, the interpretations by the Latvian cellist Mischa Maisky with the Argentine pianist Martha Argerich are highly regarded (DG 437514, 1993; this recording has been reissued by ArchivMusic).
The earlier performances of all five of Beethoven's cello sonatas by the Russian duo of cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and pianist Sviatoslav Richter remain standards of excellence (Philips Duo 442565, 1961–1963).
Pablo Casals, who became especially interested in chamber music and concertos for cello by the end of the 19th century, and performed many works that had by then become long neglected, recorded at least two complete studio sets of the five Beethoven cello sonatas in addition to a number of recordings of individual sonatas, all highly influential in respect to subsequent interpretations. The first of these sets was recorded in the 1930s, with pianists Otto Schulhof (No. 3, recorded 1930) and with Mieczysław Horszowski (No. 4, in 1936, and Nos. 1, 2, and 5, in 1939). (EMI Classics 7243 5 65185). Twenty years later Casals and Horszowski made a live recording of Nos. 2 and 5, together with a transcription for cello of Beethoven's Op. 17 Horn Sonata, in 1958 (Philips 426105).
Casals' second complete studio set of the Beethoven sonatas was recorded with Rudolf Serkin at the 1951 Perpignan Festival (No. 2) and at the 1953 Prades Festival (Nos. 1, 3-5). (Sony Classical SM2K 58985).
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