Sonata for Cello and Piano in B-flat Major, Op. 46; Louise Farrenc (Hildegard Publishing Company)

Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) was fairly well-known in her time as a pianist and a teacher. She was appointed in 1842 to the position of Professor of Piano at the Paris Conservatory and successfully lobbied for equal pay, with the support of her male colleagues. But she was also known as a composer, garnering the admiration of contemporaries like Robert Schumann. Her wonderful music is undoubtedly romantic but strongly informed by the classical period.

Her Cello Sonata in B-flat Major, Op.46 dates from 1858 and is one of her last works. It has an active piano part, putting the role of the pianist as equal to that of the solo cellist. This and other stylistic traits indicate that she had taken Beethoven's sonatas as a guiding influence.

This edition is reprinted from the original 1861 plates, with editorial comments by Susan Pickett.