Cello Sonata No. 1 New York Performances

Brahms began his Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor in the early 1860s and completed it a few years later, writing for cello and piano as equal partners. Its four movements move between restrained lyricism and tightly worked counterpoint, with a finale that nods to Bach in its fugal thinking. The sonata has long been part of New York’s recital life, more a repertory cornerstone than a documented city “premiere” landmark. In this context at David Geffen Hall, its seriousness reads as a study in endurance rather than display.