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A.C. : What are the differences between the two Sonatas? How do
you viewMendelssohn’s development between the two works?
D.S.
: They are different, of course, from an expressive viewpoint, but I don’t think
that one has essentiallymore qualities than the other.The
1
st
Sonata
ismagnificently
written and ismore intimate in character, compared to the highly exuberant
Sonata
No. 2
.
G.H.
: There is much of Schubert in the first
Sonata
; the second is more forceful,
more orchestral. The performers must be totally committed from the first bar!
And it also includes that amazing
Adagio
, with a long “choral” introduction, of
arpeggiated chords in the solo piano. Beyond the formal considerations, this
movement underscores the power and modernity of Mendelssohn’s poetic vision.
A.C.: A second Sonata, that may be linked to the instrument on
which you perform it?
G.H.
: Mendelssohn dedicated his
Sonata
, Op. 58, to Count Mateusz Wielhorski, a
Russian aristocrat, apparently a good cellist and a friend of the Schumanns. The
1662 Nicola Amati that I have the good fortune of playing belonged to Wielhorski.
He owned other instruments, but it’s possible to imagine that my cello had a part
in the very early life of the second
Sonata
. In any case, it sounds extremely well on
this instrument.
GARY HOFFMAN // DAVID SELIG 21