Sonata No.2 for cello and piano Op.61 (1998) c.16'00"

First performed on September 19th, 1998 at Wigmore Hall in London, England by Steven Isserlis, cello and Stephen Hough, piano

Commissioned by Wigmore Hall for Steven Isserlis

ABOUT

Like my First Cello Sonata, written 20 years earlier, the 2nd Sonata is a one-movement work in three clearly defined sections.  It is based on a fragment from the my opera “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”  The opening chorale-like phrase that opens the Sonata is sung in the opera by the painter Basil Hallward just before he is murdered by Dorian, as he implores Dorian to pray for the forgiveness of his sins.  The Sonata is a non-programmatic meditation on this fragment.  The Second Sonata was commissioned by Wigmore Hall in London with support from the Rubenstein circle for Steven Isserlis and Stephen Hough, who premiered the work on September 19th, 1998.

RECORDINGS

REVIEWS

“..there was an engaging new Cello Sonata by Lowell Liebermann, which drew the warmest reception for any première I’ve witnessed at the Wigmore Hall.”
The Independent on Sunday

“We heard here some beautiful writing for both instruments…The middle section of the work evoked a soothing serenity, although there was restrained tension always below the surface that tended to erupt at climactic moments. The final section was frenzied, with the cello and piano parts often tangled and intertwined, and there was a lovely coda that returned us to the lyrical mood of the beginning.”
Peninsula Reviews

“It is a powerful work, still related to tonality…but free and personal in its statements.”
American Record Guide