Cello Recital - Brahms Sonata
2026 Jan 25Recitals are useful musically because performance art calls out to be performed and shared with others. They are also a good learning event in themselves: Only practice and familiarity can overcome nervousness. There are traditions for the process of performance, and these are learned by doing.
But what to play next? Ellen suggested the Brahms' Sonata No.1 for Cello and Piano. I was familiar with it and some parts of it I liked. Other parts seemed uninteresting though, and personal interest is important for personal motivation. However, after listening to it again I thought maybe I could get into it.
Certainly the piece is interesting in that it covers the whole range of the cello - from the bottom note up to almost as high as you can go. It has sweet parts and rowdy parts. I think it was the noisy parts that I did not "get". However, contrasts are often needed to appreciate things: loud vs soft, low vs high, gentle vs rough, tension vs resolution. This one has it all.
The music grew on me. With Ellen's help, I worked up the first movement (first part) of the piece. My friend Nathan at church is a very good cellist, and I requested a lesson with him. That was very interesting because he had a different set of ears on my playing and I came away with some different new things to work on.
For this recital Ellen's dad accompanied on piano. Many years ago I had played a piece with him in recital, so it was fun to work together again.
During the performance I felt pretty good. Certainly at a live performance people can be caught up in the art and don't remember imperfections. I felt I ended well and I didn't particularly remember mistakes. Afterward, I had more complements than I had remembered having before. It was a good event, satisfying.
Then I edited the recording and realized how very imperfectly I played! :-) I think I still had a good ending. But it was a surprise to me how my perception and the facts misaligned. So, a cautionary reminder to be humble!
Audio of the cello-piano duet
Video of the cello-piano duet
At the end we had a group picture. And (as at other recitals), I found a non-standard way to display my cello.
