Sonatas for Cello & Piano, Opp. 38, 99, 108

Johannes Brahms

Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax

album cover

A Low-Key Way to Begin Exploring the Classics

It's not easy to undertake an exploration of classical music. Most critics seem to be talking some encrypted decoder-ring language, underscoring the perception that classical music is a rarefied world apart. It seems as if there are about thirty recordings of the same piece available but no Wine Spectator–style rating system to help differentiate one from another. So where to go when you want to add to a collection that starts and ends with Beethoven's Fifth?

One possible approach: Avoid the symphonic repertoire and investigate something "smaller," like these entrancing sonatas that come from opposite ends of Brahms's creative output. Here is lively, approachable music that is heroic in spots and contemplative in others, a range that mirrors that of many great symphonies. But there's less throat-clearing ceremony—the focus throughout is on the shining beauty of Brahms's melodies. The first work, Opus 38 in E Minor, from 1865, is a youthful rush of harmonic gamesmanship; Opus 99 in F Major moves with the more measured gait of an older person. The final one, Opus 108 in D Minor, is a transcription of a violin sonata (see p. 113); it's the most lyrical and introspective of the three.

And when played with the empathy that Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax bring, they can suggest the kind of rambling conversation that follows a holiday feast. Parts of Opus 99 are devoted to extravagantly showy volleys: The cello suggests a notion, the piano provides an elaborate response, and pretty soon the two instruments are swatting big ideas back and forth. The themes, particularly the one that drives the Adagio second movement of Opus 99, spring from a zone of deep yearning. A particular delight of this recording is the blend Ma and Ax, frequent collaborators, achieve: At times it sounds as though the cello is lodged deep in the midsection of the keyboard, and Ax uses a soft, bell-like tone to coax Ma a bit more into the forefront. As they weave ideas together and joust playfully, you can hear just how enchanted these two musicians are by these rich scores.

Genre: Classical
Released: 1992, Sony Classical
Key Tracks: Opus 38: first movement (Allegro non troppo), Opus 99: second movement (Adagio affettuoso)
Another Interpretation: Jacqueline du Pré and Daniel Barenboim
Catalog Choice: Violin Sonatas
Next Stop: Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto, Sea Pictures, Jacqueline du Pré, London Symphony Orchestra (Sir John Barbirolli, cond.)
Book Page: 111