Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major

While the cello does much more than “accompany” the piano in Beethoven’s Op. 5 Sonatas, in Op. 69 (1807-8) it contends as a full equal. In fact, it is the cello that sets the tone right at the start with a quiet but nobly arching solo theme, challenging the piano to respond. From this emerges one of Beethoven’s most original and appealing middle-period chamber works, full of surprises but superbly integrated, and abounding in memorable motifs and melodies. It is also striking how sparing the textures can be, as though Beethoven had set out to achieve maximum effect with the minimum number of notes. The lyricism and drama of the first movement are followed by gruff comedy in the “Scherzo”, then a warmly melodic “Adagio” seems to promise a great slow movement, but the cello soon twists this into a joyous, racing finale. Op. 69 was a great success at its premiere, and it remains the most popular of Beethoven’s cello sonatas.