Grieg composed his largest chamber work, the Cello Sonata in Am, Op. 36, in 1882, marking a return to composition following a period when he had been preoccupied with his conducting duties at the Bergen Symphony Orchestra as well as illness. Grieg dedicated the piece to his brother, John, an amateur cellist. Ludwig Grützmacher premièred the work with Grieg at the piano on 22 October 1883 in Dresden. The work takes approximately 26 minutes to perform. Gary Karr arranged the sonata as a double bass concerto on his album Virtuoso Double Bass.
