Cello Sonata No. 2 (Mendelssohn)

Felix Mendelssohn's Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 58 was composed in June 1843. The work, which was dedicated to the Russian/Polish cellist Count Mateusz Wielhorski, has four movements:

Allegro assai vivace
Allegretto scherzando
Adagio
Molto allegro e vivace

A typical performance lasts 25 minutes.

Of particular interest is the Adagio, because it mirrors Mendelssohn's fascination with the music of J. S. Bach. (He was then musical director of the Gewandhaus concerts at Leipzig and, as such, Bach's distant successor.) The movement consists of a chorale in Bach's typical style, played by the piano in rich arpeggios. In between the phrases of the chorale, the cello plays recitative-like passages.

Media

	1st movement Performed by John Michel 2nd movement 3rd movement 4th movement
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Chamber music by Felix Mendelssohn

String quartets	String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 12 String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 44, No. 1 String Quartet No. 4 in E minor, Op. 44, No. 2 String Quartet No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 44, No. 3 String Quartet No. 6 in F minor, Op. 80 Four Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 81 12 Fugues for String Quartet (1821) String Quartet in E-flat major (1823)

String quintets and octets	String Quintet No. 1 in A major, Op. 18 String Quintet No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 87 Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20

String sonatas	Cello Sonata No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 45 Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 58 Viola Sonata in C minor (1823-4) Violin Sonata in F minor, Op. 4 Violin Sonata in F major (1820) Violin Sonata in F major (1838)

Piano trios, quartets and sextets	Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49 Piano Trio No. 2 in C minor, Op. 66 Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1 Piano Quartet No. 2 in F minor, Op. 2 Piano Quartet No. 3 in B minor, Op. 3 Piano Quartet in D minor (1821) Piano Sextet in D major, Op. 110

Works for clarinet	Clarinet Sonata in E-flat major (1824) Concert Piece No. 1 in F minor, Op. 113 Concert Piece No. 2 in D minor, Op. 114

List of compositions by Felix Mendelssohn