Taught by renowned cellist
Laurence Lesser
In this course, legendary cellist and professor Laurence Lesser takes us on a guided tour through the seminal E minor sonata of Brahms. From the singing, sorrowful opening through the waltz-inspired menuetto and the Bach-inspired finale, this course is an inside look at one of the great sonatas for cello with one of the cello world’s living legends.
Introduction
In this lesson, Professor Laurence Lesser gives us a background of the Brahms E minor Sonata and speaks about his long history with the piece. We learn about the historical context in which Brahms composed the work (over the course of three years, which coincided with the American Civil War), as well as about the performance traditions that have come and gone since the work had its première.
I. Allegro non troppo
In the lesson on the first movement, Prof. Lesser teaches us about the importance of studying the slur markings of Brahms very closely. Slurs in Brahms are some of the most talked about and debated aspects in all interpretations of Romantic-era music, and Lesser implores us to take the slur markings --bowings-- very seriously. Lesser also quotes his longtime friend and legendary cellist Anner Bylsma as he illustrates points about the nature of authenticity in music.
II. Allegretto quasi Menuetto
In the lesson on the second movement, we go into depth on the aspect of the dance form as it makes its way into chamber music, sonatas, and even symphonies. As we learn in this lesson, Brahms was living in Vienna where he became close friends with Johann Strauß II "The Waltz King." As the waltz was the dominating form in Vienna and much of Europe, it imbued many of Brahms's middle movements, the one in this sonata included. Lesser also teaches us about shading certain notes with a particular vibrato to create a diverse palate of colors.
III. Allegro
This lesson connects the final, tempestuous movement to one of the pinnacles of Baroque composition: The Art of Fugue by J.S. Bach. Lesser shows us the strong Bach-inspired underpinning of this movement and how fugal subjects come in and out of the texture as the cello and piano parts trade off. We also learn about the homage Brahms pays to the prélude of the First Cello Suite, and the importance of interpreting the articulation markings with rigor, such as what notes have dots and what notes do not.
Exploring the Dialogue of the Cello and Piano parts
In this lesson, we go into depth on how to interact with the piano while playing the E minor sonata of Brahms. Prof. Lesser addresses many of the crucial issues posed in the repertoire of cello and piano. One of those issues is that of balance – Lesser explains that Brahms wrote the piece with an incredible ear for balance. Often, the cello and piano alternate in thematic importance so that the cello can play even in the low, less brilliant ranges of the instrument and never be covered by the piano.
Performance
This lesson features Professor Laurence Lesser, along with pianist Ji Yung Lee, in a complete performance of the Brahms E minor sonata. This is a chance to see Lesser's seventy-five-plus years of musical experience, in the classroom and on the concert stage, as he brings his interpretative powers to the monumental work of Johannes Brahms.
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Unlock Course →Laurence Lesser, prize winner of the 1966 Tchaikovsky Competition, has been on the faculty of the New England Conservatory since 1974, where he also served as President from 1983-1996. He studied with Gaspar Cassadò, Gregor Piatigorsky, and Pablo Casals.
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