Formation
Cello and piano · 2 performers
Required forces
Cello
1 performers
Piano
1 performers
Playable parts
Cello
Piano
MusicCoach difficulty
73/100
Advanced
Level of the complete work
We have no level specific to this movement. The figure above is that of the complete work: within a cycle, movements often differ widely in demand.
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Technique
Bow legato (cello)
1
Tone
Vibrato (cello)
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Technique
Position changes (cello)
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
What to play next?
Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.
Gentle step
The safest next step.
Gentle
Cello Sonata no. 2 in G minor, op. 5 no. 2
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Style classique and Passages rapides — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Gentle
Cello Sonata no. 2 in F major, op. 123
Camille Saint-Saëns
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Passages rapides and Doigté complexe — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Cello Sonata no. 2 in G minor, op. 117
Gabriel Fauré
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Passages rapides and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Balanced
Cello Sonata no. 1 in D minor, op. 109
Gabriel Fauré
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Vibrato (violoncelle) — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Cello Sonata in B flat major, op. 8
Ernst von Dohnányi
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Vibrato (violoncelle) — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Challenge
Cello Sonata no. 3 in A major, op. 69
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Style classique and Passages rapides — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
Same level
Variations in D minor, for cello and piano, op. 54
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Style classique and Passages rapides — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
Pièce in C major, for cello and piano, op. 39
Ernest Chausson
close skills
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Voix chantante and Vibrato (violoncelle) — the notes will be secure long before the musical line: work in whole phrases, singing the main voice.
Same level
2 Pieces for Cello and Piano, op. 2
Sergei Rachmaninoff
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Intermediate (around grade 6 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Caractère et style — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.