Hitch up alongside cellist Gabor Rejtoa and pianist Adolph Baller and enter the emotionally charged world of Brahms's Cello Sonatas. Take pleasure in the warm sound of these two longing-infused works: one as it suffers through the pain, the other as it basks in the heat of heartache.

The Sonata in E minor, written in 1865, opens with a cello theme that calls out longingly to the listener, and in fact the entire movement tugs forcefully at the heartstrings. The piano is atmospheric, occasionally echoing the cello's statements, as the cellist uses the full range of his instrument to communicate to us, from low, guttural bowings, to tension filled high notes. The second movement is a dance, the minor key giving it a sense of urgency, in which piano and cello move together on more equal terms than in the first movement. The final movement is stormy, and one can easily imagine a full orchestra blasting out the big themes.

The second work, the Sonata in F major, was written twenty-two years later in 1887, and we hear the intensity of Brahms's emotional life has not waned, though its colors appear to be brighter. Movement one begins with a triumphant rising figure, while movement two opens with a calm mood and cello pizzicatos. However, the "passionato" third movement and increasingly raucous final movement remind us that all is not necessarily well for the 54 year-old composer.

Listen closely, and hear Brahms's troubled inner life.

Recommended Tracks:
Sonata in E Minor, Op. 38 : Allegro ma non troppo
Sonata in F Major, Op. 99 : Allegro molto