Cello Sonata No. 4 in C Major

Chronologically, Beethoven’s last two cello sonatas (1815) stand at the end of his so-called “middle period”, and yet in many ways they anticipate the profoundly inward-looking, formally lateral-thinking “late” masterpieces. The dialogue between cello and piano is as captivating as in the previous sonata, Op. 69, but now it is less like two different individuals conversing and more like a dialogue within one astonishingly rich mind. The sonata begins with a wonderful example of that kind of "inner" conversation, marked "tender". But is this “Andante” a separate movement, or a glorious upbeat to the stormy “Allegro” that follows? Conventional attempts to break down this sonata’s form into movements or sections on Classical lines fail to capture the essence of this extraordinary musical journey, which at times seems to evolve with the logic of a dream. But there’s also something wonderfully playful about this music. Beethoven stirs us deeply then seems to say, "But don’t take it too seriously."