Description
The Cello Sonata op. 6 numbers among the most mature works of Strauss' early chamber music, alongside the Piano Quartet op. 13 and the Violin Sonata op. 18. While the influences of Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms are noticeable, the sonata leaves ample room for Strauss' very personal tonal language, often with surprising rhythmic and harmonic flourishes. Strauss subjected the original 1881 version to a radical revision over the winter of 1882/83, thoroughly reworking the opening movement and completely rewriting the two subsequent movements.
The effort was well worth it, as the composer wrote ecstatically to his mother after the Dresden premiere: "My sonata garnered extraordinary acclaim, the applause was enormous, congratulations came to me from all sides."
