Chopin's Cello Sonata was his most important chamber work and the last piece published during his lifetime, but it had a difficult history due to its complex tonal language and emotional volatility.
Performer Biography
Steven Isserlis, the cellist on this recording, plays the 'Marquis de Corberon' Stradivarius of 1726, on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.
Instruments
The arpeggione, also known as the cello-guitar, was a curious instrument invented by Georg Staufer, with frets like a guitar but played with a bow and held between the knees.
Historical Context
Schubert was an unworldly, untidy Bohemian who never achieved true worldly success, while Chopin was a fastidious dandy who set sartorial and musical fashions ablaze in Paris.
Composer Biography
Schubert and Chopin, both geniuses, died in their thirties under the shadow of death, were masters of smaller forms, and possessed a gift for melody.
Composition History
Chopin's Polonaise brillante for piano and cello was written as a gift for Prince Radziwiłł, an amateur cellist who had known Beethoven and Goethe, and his daughter, Princess Wanda.
Composer Biography
Auguste Franchomme, a cellist and composer, became Chopin's musical partner, close confidant, and collaborated with him on a Grand Duo concertant.
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