Felix Mendelssohn'sCello Sonata No. 2inD major,Op.58, was composed in late 1842 (announced in November letters) — first half of 1843 (published in July byF. Kistner).[1]The main theme of the first movement is a reworking of an unrealisedPiano Sonata in G major.[1]The Cello Sonata, which was dedicated to the Russian/Polish cellist CountMateusz Wielhorski,has fourmovements:
Of particular interest is the Adagio, because it mirrors Mendelssohn's fascination with the music ofJ. S. Bach.(He was then musical director of the Gewandhaus concerts at Leipzig and, as such, Bach's distant successor.) The movement consists of a chorale in Bach's typical style, played by the piano in rich arpeggios. In between the phrases of the chorale, the cello plays recitative-like passages, which resemble the recitative of the Fantasia in theChromatic Fantasia and Fugue,BWV 903, and quotes its final passage.[2]
