It was in 1862 that Brahms wrote the first two movements of his first Cello Sonata, the year of his first visit to Vienna. At the time, however, there still seemed some possibility of employment in his native Hamburg and this was where his ambitions lay.
The work was finally completed in 1865, after the death of the composer’s mother and at a time when the German Requiem was again in his mind. The sonata makes full use of the more sombre possibilities of the cello, inherent in its lower range.
The first movement is linked to the other two movements chiefly through the Next them that makes its first appearance in the second bar of the work, and continues throughout the sonata.
The second movement, a charming minuet and trio, seems to pay nostalgic tribute to the world of Mozart – or perhaps to that of Schubert, with whose music Brahms was somewhat obsessed at this period.
The last movement is a mixture of fugue and sonata form.
Here is a young Yo Yo Ma to play this music for you:
