Edvard Grieg composed the Cello Sonata in A minor, Op. 36 for cello and piano, his largest chamber work, (and his only work for this combination) in 1882–83, marking a return to composition following a period when he had been preoccupied with his conducting duties at the Bergen Symphony Orchestra as well as illness.
Contents
The work borrows themes from Grieg's own Trauermarsch zum Andenken an Richard Nordraak (Funeral March in memory of Richard Nordraak) and the wedding march from his Drei Orchesterstücke aus Sigurd Jorsalfar (Three orchestral pieces from 'Sigurd Jorsalfar'). Grieg dedicated the piece to his brother, John, a keen amateur cellist.Friedrich Ludwig Grützmacher premièred the work with Grieg at the piano on 22 October 1883 in Dresden.
Structure
The sonata has three movements:
- Allegro agitato
- Andante molto tranquillo
- Allegro molto e marcato
The work takes approximately 26 minutes to perform.