Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65

This is Chopin's last major completed work, and it sounds like a man wrestling with something he cannot quite name, which makes it far more gripping than his more celebrated piano miniatures. Written for his close friend the cellist Auguste Franchomme, it stretches across four substantial movements that feel almost symphonic in ambition, a surprise from a composer so often associated with intimate salon pieces. Many listeners hear the finale especially as a kind of defiant energy, restless and driven, as though Chopin was racing against his own failing health.

What to listen for

Notice how the two instruments circle each other warily at the opening, the piano sometimes overshadowing, sometimes tenderly supporting the cello's singing line. The slow third movement is the emotional heart of the piece: the cello sustains long, aching phrases while the piano beneath it breathes very quietly, and the effect is of someone speaking in a half-whisper in a dark room. When the final movement arrives, the mood shifts abruptly into restless forward motion, and the interplay between the two players becomes almost argumentative before they finally find common ground.

Recommended recording

Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich bring an electrifying urgency to this sonata, with Argerich's characteristic fearlessness perfectly matched by Maisky's deeply expressive tone.

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