Great Romantic Cello Sonatas

It is fascinating to compare the Cello and Piano Sonatas of Chopin and Rachmaninoff: one realizes that the latter is almost a love letter to the former, echoing its roles—the tumultuous piano and the lyrical cello—the four-movement form in the same order, and even the key. Each sonata is preceded by a short piano piece by György Ligeti, focused on a technical challenge but aiming to recover romantic sonorities, echoes of that same world that has long since disappeared.