Text from programme: Sonata for Solo Cello, op.8 Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
I Allegro maestoso ma appassionato
II Adagio (con grand expression)
III Allegro molto vivace
Written in 1915, this work makes full use of the cello, spanning 5 octaves and requiring the bottom two strings to be tuned down one semitone to B and F#. This gives a unique sonority to the cello and new possibilities for chords and colours. The movements flow continuously into one another and the sonata ends with a flourish.
Instead of looking for catchy tunes, or attempting to make ‘sense’ of this work on first hearing, Imagine you are on a drive through the countryside, where the light dances through the branches of trees, and the changing scenery can captivate you, moving from trees, to fields, to livestock, to houses, to people walking by. There is no worry about going around the corner, because it will be interesting, perhaps introspective, maybe dancing, and always sonorous.
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