Mendelssohn conceived his cello works for his younger brother Paul, whose abilities must have been considerable, given the level of virtuosity required in the 1829 Variations concertantes, Op. 29. Set in D Major, the piece offers a theme, Andante con moto, and eight variations. The keyboard part is equally demanding. The 7thvariant in D Minor is quite passionate. The last variation exploits a a pedal point in the cello on D.
The Cello Sonata No. 1 in B-flat Major,Op. 45 (1838) reflects the grace and security that M possesses in moments when he resembles Mozart and Beethoven. Beethoven’s Op. 69 A Major Sonata exerts its influence on the Allegro first mvmt. The Andante is in G Minor, playful and nostalgic, in an “antique” mode like a minuet. The middle part is a song in G Major. The Allegro assai is a rondo, passionate, with lyrical episodes.
The Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58 (1843) is a large-scale piece in four mvmts. The opening Allegro assai vivace, exerts vital energy. The B Minor Allegretto scherzando has a dark temper, but its middle section offers consolation in the major. The Adagio in G Major provides the heart of the piece, a chorale that flows intermittently with recitative cello figures. The mix culminates with the piano’s ascent into a high register that, attacca, proceeds directly into the Molto allegro e vivace, a rondo of fertile, frolicsome energy.
M composed his Song Without Words, Op. 109 (1845; pub.1868) for French cellist Lisa Barbier Cristiani. The lyric is one of some 50 such character pieces Mendelssohn wrote - mostly for solo piano – between 1829-1845. The Assai tranquillo in B Minor was intended as “farewell” piece to the city of Duesseldorf in order to leave for Leipzig. The musical fragment, unfinished, lay in an album belonging to Julius Rietz, a cellist and conductor.