Brahms: Cello Sonatas

Featuring

Markus Hohti
Emil Holmström
Johannes Brahms

Did you know?

1/7

Compositional Technique

The E minor sonata by Johannes Brahms, the composer, borrows themes for its outer movements from Bach's Die Kunst der Fuge, making it an homage to Bach.

Composition History

The two cello sonatas by Johannes Brahms, the composer, were written at very different stages of his career, with the E minor sonata from the early 1860s and the F major sonata from 1886.

Compositional Technique

Johannes Brahms's F major sonata features a virtuosic approach to instrumental writing, including an extensive use of tremolo in the first movement that caused 'mild consternation' at the time.

Interpretation

The performers aim to reassess the traditional interpretations of Brahms's music, examining which elements serve the music and which are mannerisms.

Interpretation

The use of continuous vibrato, common today, only became prevalent in the early 20th century and was likely used much more sparingly in Brahms's time.

Instruments

This recording uses a Bösendorfer grand piano from 1882 and an early 19th-century English cello with gut strings to create a sound world different from modern instruments.

Performer Biography

Markus Hohti, the cellist, is equally at home on the Baroque cello and exploring contemporary music, with a passion for playing Romantic music on gut strings, improvisation, and electroacoustic music.