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Masterclass: Beethoven Cello Sonata no.4 in C major

2023-03-29T09:14:00

AmitPeled3_Credit Philip Bermingham

Cellist Amit Peled gives his thoughts on a second movement of introspection and wild exploration

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This sonata used to be mandatory in the Rostropovich Competition because it’s so demanding both technically and musically. Particularly towards the end, this movement pushes cellists right out of their comfort zone even though as a whole it is not as hard as the Third Sonata. Musically, its exploratory agenda means that it still sounds disorientating today, and you’ve got to be ready to inhabit those spaces fully, and to make wild contrasts.

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