Sonata for Cello and Piano

For cello and piano

Sonata

for Cello and Piano

A dramatic chamber work in four movements, written for the intimate and volatile dialogue of cello and piano.

Year 2002
Duration 24′
Scoring Cello
Piano
Publisher Boosey & Hawkes
/ Sikorski
Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski Purchase Score Abbreviations PDF

Dedication

Dedicated to David Finckel and Wu Han.

Commission

Co-commissioned by Hancher Auditorium / The University of Iowa. And the Music in the Park Series, St. Paul, MN.

Premiere

19 February 2003. Iowa City · David Finckel, cello · Wu Han, piano.

Structure

Four movements. Allegro moderato · Lament · Allegro assai · Con estrema intensità.

Movements

  • 1. Allegro moderato

    Opening movement

  • 2. Lament

    Adagio

  • 3. Allegro assai

    Third movement

  • 4. Con estrema intensità

    Final movement

Work Information

Full Title
Sonata for Violoncello and Piano No. 1
Scoring
For cello and piano.
Year
2002
Duration
24′
Form
Sonata in four movements.
Instrumentation
Violoncello and piano.
Abbreviations PDF
Dedication
Dedicated to David Finckel and Wu Han.
Commission
Co-commissioned by Hancher Auditorium / The University of Iowa and the Music in the Park Series, St. Paul, MN.
Premiere
19 February 2003 · Iowa City; David Finckel, cello / Wu Han, piano.
Publisher
Published by Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski .
Score
SIK 8509.
Availability
Score available for sale through Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski.

The Work

Sonata for Cello and Piano is a four-movement chamber work written in 2002. It was dedicated to David Finckel and Wu Han and first performed by them in Iowa City in 2003.

Lament stands at the center of the sonata’s expressive world, framed by movements of greater motion and intensity. Work description

The sonata places the cello and piano in a direct, dramatic partnership. Its movement sequence moves from Allegro moderato through the second movement Lament, then into the compressed force of Allegro assai and the final Con estrema intensità.

  • Form Four-movement sonata.
  • Premiere Iowa City, 19 February 2003.
  • Forces Cello and piano.

Context

The sonata belongs to Auerbach’s early 2000s chamber works for strings and piano, near the period of the cello-and-piano prelude cycle, the solo cello sonata, and related chamber works.

It appears on the Cedille Records album Celloquy, performed by Ani Aznavoorian and Lera Auerbach, alongside 24 Preludes for Cello and Piano and Postlude for Cello and Piano. It is also recorded by the dedicatees, David Finckel and Wu Han, on the album For David and Wu Han.

Online Materials

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Publisher and Materials

Published by Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski. The score is available for sale through the official Boosey & Hawkes / Sikorski purchase page.