Jan Zalud (cello)&ShunFu Chang (piano)|Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19, III. movement-Rachmaninoff

Following his First Symphony's failure, Sergei Rachmaninoff overcame a deep depression leading to a prolific creative period. Among the masterpieces that followed was the 1901 Cello Sonata Op. 19. This work shares the sweeping passion and virtuosity of the Second Piano Concerto, though it sadly remains the composer's final contribution to chamber music. Despite its late 1901 premiere, Rachmaninoff continued refining the manuscript to incorporate his final thoughts on the score. The slow movement, being performed today, basks in Rachmaninoff’s rich, songful style, initiated by the piano. The central section in the minor mode comes to a dramatic climax before the varied return of the main theme.