Duration: 19 minutes

Description: Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) composed Sonata for Cello No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 109 in 1917, during the final decade of his life when, despite increasing hearing loss and the hardships of World War I, he produced a remarkable series of chamber music masterpieces. Written at Saint-Raphaël and later completed in Paris, the sonata reflects Fauré’s late style, characterized by remarkable economy of means, subtle harmonic language, and an expressive intensity that avoids overt Romantic rhetoric. The opening movement draws upon material from a long-abandoned symphony of the 1880s, while the serene central Andante and luminous finale reveal the composer’s mature gift for lyrical transformation and structural balance. The work was premiered on November 10, 1917, at the Société Nationale de Musique in Paris by cellist Gérard Hekking and pianist Alfred Cortot, on a program that also introduced Fauré’s Second Violin Sonata. Today, Sonata for Cello No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 109 is regarded as one of the finest cello sonatas of the early twentieth century and a cornerstone of the French chamber music repertoire, admired for its refined craftsmanship, emotional depth, and the seamless partnership it creates between cello and piano. Reprint edition.

• M223891 / 36-M223891 SONATA IN D MINOR OP.109 SOLO/PNO $13.95Buy Now