# Recommended Cello Concertos



## SamGuss

In the similar vein from the favorite violin concerto thread, I am interested in everyone's opinions on Cello Concerto's.

I've only heard a few so far, but what I have heard I have immensely enjoyed. So what would you recommend to a newb who only knows "I like Cello Concerto's so far!" and what are your favorite Cello Concerto's?


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## oisfetz

To me:
Dvorak op.104 - Elgar - Lalo - Khatchaturian - Kabalevsky first - Saint-Saëns first


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## BuddhaBandit

Shostakovich's two concertos rank fairly high for me. Elgar's, too, is great, especially the Jacqueline Du Pré recordings. I actually also happen to like the Boccherini concertos; while not as rousing as the Shos or Elgar, they're great showpieces for virtuosos.


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## opus67

I guess there will be more or less standard replies for this one. At least I won't be suggesting something out of the blue. (No, wait, there are the ones by Haydn. ) But then, there are some pieces for cello and orchestra (not concerti) that are nice. 

Tchaikovsky' Rococo Variations, which you have in the Slava/HvK CD. 
Dvorak Silent Woods

These are the two that come to mind right now. I'll keep adding more as and when I remember the names.


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## World Violist

Dvorak and Elgar are the almost unanimously greatest cello concerti ever written (especially the Dvorak; Elgar's only reached such heights after Jacqueline du Pre's legendary performances of it, while Dvorak's started with _Brahms'_ approval).


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## confuoco

I very like *Schumann* Cello Concerto...it lasted long time while I got into it, because its lyricism is very broad and hard to catch...but finally it was succesful and now I love it like as one of the very deep cello concertos.

And on the other side I am fan of *Shostakovich* No. 1 - very rough, ironic, concrete, demonic concerto...metal and hard rock seem to be in comparation with this like fairy-tales. And is also very deep concerto.

And *Elgar* is also very beautiful...of course, there is unique du Pré...but what about recording with Jullian Lloyd Webber and Yehudi Menuhin? Also very special.


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## SamGuss

Just want to make sure (remember newb to classical) Elgar - is this Edward Elgar? (Did a quick google search and his name came up)

Thank you all for the replies so far!


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## opus67

SamGuss said:


> Just want to make sure (remember newb to classical) Elgar - is this Edward Elgar? (Did a quick google search and his name came up)


Yes, Elgar is Edward Elgar. But Bach...that's a different story altogether.


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## SamGuss

opus67 said:


> Yes, Elgar is Edward Elgar. But Bach...that's a different story altogether.


CPE Bach = great concerto's from what I have heard on YouTube 
JS Bach also great at concertos (Brandenburg Concertos for example)

Thought you had me didn't you 

(of course I recognize that there may be other Bachs involved I don't know about yet)


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## opus67

SamGuss said:


> JS Bach also great at concertos (Brandenburg Concertos for example)


_Also_? If that isn't the understatement of the century, I don't know what is.  Johann Sebasitan, some say, was one of the founding fathers of the concerto. From what little I've read, he developed the form championed by Vivaldi. And Bach (J.S., that is) made a mark in almost every other genre, except opera. And some consider him the greatest composer Europe has ever seen.



> (of course I recognize that there may be other Bachs involved I don't know about yet)


 There's J.C.Bach, also known as the 'London' Bach, who had a huge influence on the young Mozart when he was touring the city.

And there are less famous ones, too. (J.C.F, W.F., etc.)

One of the funniest (and to some extent fictional) Bach family trees I've come across is the one in Stephen Fry's book _Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music_.


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## SamGuss

opus67 said:


> _Also_? If that isn't the understatement of the century, I don't know what is.  Johann Sebasitan, some say, was one of the founding fathers of the concerto.


I honestly didn't mean any offense, just a newb statement. I didn't know he was considered the father of concertos or one of them. The Brandenburg Concertos was one of the first pieces of classical I started with a few weeks ago, as a matter of fact his 4th, 5th and 6th Brandenburg Concertos and one of the influences that really got me into classical to begin with.


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## opus67

SamGuss said:


> I honestly didn't mean any offense, just a newb statement.


None taken either.


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## BuddhaBandit

opus67 said:


> And some consider him the greatest composer Europe has ever seen.


I certainly do!



opus67 said:


> And there are less famous ones, too. (J.C.F, W.F., etc.)


And, of course, don't forget the rather underrated P.D.Q. Bach!


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## opus67

BuddhaBandit said:


> And, of course, don't forget the rather underrated P.D.Q. Bach!


I'm only familiar with his _1712 Overture_, and I'm curious about _The Musical Sacrifice._


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## SamGuss

oisfetz said:


> To me:
> Dvorak op.104 - Elgar - Lalo - Khatchaturian - Kabalevsky first - Saint-Saëns first


Dvorak - check. Have Rostropovich's recording with BPO & Karajan. One of my favorite pieces of music.

Elgar - Cello concerto No. 1 - nice stuff. I listened to Yo-Yo Ma on You Tube and then discovered Jacqueline du Pre's version. This has helped me not to just identify another beautiful cello concerto, but to also find another great celloist in du Pre (my other favorite is Rostropovich. While I haven't written Yo-Yo Ma off, I am finding drawn to du Pre (I found some other stuff by her as well) and Rostropovich. Definately on "want list".

Lalo - cello concerto. Not suprisingly I had never heard of him and found this to be a very pretty piece. Once again gave Yo-Yo Ma a chance, but ended up settling to listen Maya Bogdanovic instead. Thanks for this lead!

Khatchaturian - nice.

Kabalevsky - didn't get into much as the others, but may have been the vids I found.

Saint-Saëns - Yep, this one gets added to the want-list as well!


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## SamGuss

BuddhaBandit said:


> Shostakovich's two concertos rank fairly high for me. Elgar's, too, is great, especially the Jacqueline Du Pré recordings. I actually also happen to like the Boccherini concertos; while not as rousing as the Shos or Elgar, they're great showpieces for virtuosos.


As stated above, I am very impressed with Jacqueline du Pre's work and definately will be keeping an eye out for some recordings of hers.


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## SamGuss

opus67 said:


> Tchaikovsky' Rococo Variations, which you have in the Slava/HvK CD.
> Dvorak Silent Woods
> 
> These are the two that come to mind right now. I'll keep adding more as and when I remember the names.


Rococo Variations - definately good stuff. I checked out Silent Woods by Dvorak - and came across Yo-Yo Ma again - this guy definately seems to have a large repitore. Only a couple of cellist came up in my search for this piece - Ma and someone named Jian Wang. Listened to Wang's version and this is a deeply moving piece and added to the want list. Thanks for the lead!

This brings up an additional question. I am getting familiar with Rostropovich and enjoy him and now, du Pre as well. I am not overly impressed with Ma's stuff yet. What other cellists besides these three are considered "great"?


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## SamGuss

confuoco said:


> I very like *Schumann* Cello Concerto...it lasted long time while I got into it, because its lyricism is very broad and hard to catch...but finally it was succesful and now I love it like as one of the very deep cello concertos.
> 
> And on the other side I am fan of *Shostakovich* No. 1 - very rough, ironic, concrete, demonic concerto...metal and hard rock seem to be in comparation with this like fairy-tales. And is also very deep concerto.
> 
> And *Elgar* is also very beautiful...of course, there is unique du Pré...but what about recording with Jullian Lloyd Webber and Yehudi Menuhin? Also very special.


Schumann - I've been exploring some of his symphonies and have his first 2 right now. Really impressed with him and intend on picking up some more of his stuff in the near future. His cello concerto is definately really good!

Shostakovich - wow. Very unusual sounding to me, but I found myself enjoying it immensely and because of it's different feel to a cello concerto. Being added to the want list.

Elgar - found this recording with Webber & Menuhin. GREAT stuff. Not sure about a side by side comparrison with du Priest yet, but will be doing so soon! Thanks for the excellent leads.


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## SamGuss

opus67 said:


> There's J.C.Bach, also known as the 'London' Bach, who had a huge influence on the young Mozart when he was touring the city.
> 
> And there are less famous ones, too. (J.C.F, W.F., etc.)


Going to explore these guys more in depth in the very near future, but in a later post you mentioned the 1712 Overture by PDQ Bach and I had to check that out.... Yep, another want list item. Is it my imagination or am I picking up a little 1812 thrown in this piece - or ddid I get a mislabeled performance and it's a melody including that?

So much stuff, so little time; and which to get when and in what order. I _like_ problems like these!


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## opus67

SamGuss said:


> Thanks for the lead!


You're welcome. 



> This brings up an additional question. I am getting familiar with Rostropovich and enjoy him and now, du Pre as well. I am not overly impressed with Ma's stuff yet. What other cellists besides these three are considered "great"?


To name just a few,

Pablo Casals. He rediscovered Bach's cello suites (have you listened to them yet?), and also was the first to record them all. His recordings, unfortunately, were made in the first half of the last century, and don't really sound all that good on CD. 

Pierre Fournier

Janos Starker

These men were experts in the modern cello. There are also period-instrument speciallists, like Anner Bylsma, but since the historically-informed performance (HIP) was only a recent movement, I'm not sure what amount of "greatness" has been attributed to them.



SamGuss said:


> in a later post you mentioned the 1712 Overture by PDQ Bach and I had to check that out.... Yep, another want list item. Is it my imagination or am I picking up a little 1812 thrown in this piece - or ddid I get a mislabeled performance and it's a melody including that?



Nope. You weren't imagining things. P.D.Q. Bach is a fictional composer created by Peter Schickele. He makes parodies out of well-known classical pieces. For example,

1712 Overture - 1812 Overture
The Musical Sacrfice - The Muiscal Offering, by the real Bach.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._D._Q._Bach
http://www.schickele.com/


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## BuddhaBandit

Bylsma does a great job with the Bach (JS!) Cello Suites as well. In addition, if you want a great recording of the Schumann concerto, check out the Rostropovich/ONDF/Bernstein recording.

Gregor Piatigorsky is another great cellist worth taking a look at. He's from the first half of the 20th century (so, again, sound quality may not be ideal), but guys like Prokofiev and Hindemith wrote concertos for him. Take a look at his recording of Walton's concerto (it's great!).

Quick Note: If you get into the hilarious but sometimes over-the-to antics of PDQ Bach, check out some of Victor Borge's video clips.


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## World Violist

Piatigorsky is amazing. While this may not really be a full "cello concerto," it's worth mentioning, I think: Brahms' "double" concerto, for violin, cello, and orchestra. Easily my favorite recording yet has been Heifetz and Piatigorsky with the Boston Symphony under Charles Munch. Really great stuff there!


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## opus67

World Violist said:


> Easily my favorite recording yet has been Heifetz and Piatigorsky with the Boston Symphony under Charles Munch. Really great stuff there!


You know, I once saw this recording at the store and, I admit, was tempted to buy it. But then, I really didn't want to listen to Heifetz play Mozart or Bach, so I kept it back on the rack.


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## World Violist

Actually, that's the very same one I bought; the Brahms made up for the Bach and Mozart fully (and was worth the price).


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## shsherm

A fine cello solo begins the 3rd movement of the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto which I actually heard the LA Philharmonic play today. Not a cello concerto but nice cello music.


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## confuoco

SamGuss said:


> Shostakovich - wow. Very unusual sounding to me, but I found myself enjoying it immensely and because of it's different feel to a cello concerto. Being added to the want list.
> 
> Elgar - found this recording with Webber & Menuhin. GREAT stuff. Not sure about a side by side comparrison with du Priest yet, but will be doing so soon! Thanks for the excellent leads.


Yes, concerto of Shostakovich is really very different and original in many ways. I think the best interprets are Rostropovich and Han-na Chang.

Du Pré and Lloyd Webber are different type of players. Du Pré is extremely sensitive and expressive. Lloyd Webber is more elegant, and he has (especially in Elgar's concerto with Menuhin) really beautiful sound of his instrument, one of the best I've heard. For example in Saint-Saens' concerto I like him more than du Pré, because it is heartlighted work and I think it it better to play it in "light" and elegant way. On the other hand, du Pré is very good in passionate Schumann's concerto.


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## Marina

Прокофьев : симфония-концерт для виолончели (e-moll, op. 125)


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## Marina

Marina said:


> Прокофьев : симфония-концерт для виолончели (e-moll, op. 125)


Not exactly a cello concerto, but a Sinfonia Concertante (симфония-концерт), for cello (виолончели) by prokofiev (Прокофьев) …that's what I'd recommend.


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## Harold75

I would highly recommend Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 2. The first movement may be a bit slow and lugubrious, but the last two are pretty fast and lively. I especially like the last movement, because it has so many different moods. Some sections are lively and jovial, others are sweet and romantic, others are pensive and meditative, and others are tactile and artistic.
I'm surprised no one's mentioned Haydn's concerti. I also like Saint-Saëns two concerti...


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## SamGuss

confuoco said:


> Yes, concerto of Shostakovich is really very different and original in many ways. I think the best interprets are Rostropovich and Han-na Chang.
> 
> Du Pré and Lloyd Webber are different type of players. Du Pré is extremely sensitive and expressive. Lloyd Webber is more elegant, and he has (especially in Elgar's concerto with Menuhin) really beautiful sound of his instrument, one of the best I've heard. For example in Saint-Saens' concerto I like him more than du Pré, because it is heartlighted work and I think it it better to play it in "light" and elegant way. On the other hand, du Pré is very good in passionate Schumann's concerto.


I've come to like du Pre, Rostropovich, and Webber - still identifying "what" I like about each one for myself - much as you have done here. I have listened to many recordings with Yo-Yo Ma and - not to step on any sacred cows - while I am impressed with his repitore, I am not especially moved by him like I am with other Celloist.

I plan on looking for Elgar's Cello Concerto at the store on Friday and with any luck will be able to pick up something with du Pre playing it. I'll settle for Rostropovich and a couple other Celloist though probably if I can't find that. Guess we'll see what happens.


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## opus67

opus67 said:


> At least I won't be suggesting something out of the blue. (No, wait, there are the ones by Haydn. )





Harold75 said:


> I'm surprised no one's mentioned Haydn's concerti..


You wouldn't be had you read all the posts with care.


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## opus67

BuddhaBandit said:


> check out some of Victor Borge's video clips.


I came here to check something out, and chanced upon your remark on Victor Borge. I just saw a couple of clips on YouTube. They are hilarious!  Thanks.

Here's Page-turner. Enjoy!


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## BuddhaBandit

opus67 said:


> I came here to check something out, and chanced upon your remark on Victor Borge. I just saw a couple of clips on YouTube. They are hilarious!  Thanks.
> 
> Here's Page-turner. Enjoy!


I'm glad you like him! He's really a roar. You might check out this clip, featuring comedian/pianist Dudley Moore:

The New Beethoven Sonata


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## joma

my favorites:

'Schelomo' by Ernest Bloch (if this ranks as a cello concerto...)
Cello concertos by Saint-Saëns (also the Suite Op. 16)
Cello concerto by Schoenberg (after Monn)


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## Kezza

BuddhaBandit said:


> Shostakovich's two concertos rank fairly high for me. Elgar's, too, is great, especially the Jacqueline Du Pré recordings. I actually also happen to like the Boccherini concertos; while not as rousing as the Shos or Elgar, they're great showpieces for virtuosos.


There is a second Shostakovich!?!?!?

I am deeply in love with his First. To find a second would be.. WOW!


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## confuoco

Kezza said:


> There is a second Shostakovich!?!?!?


Of course it is . However I consider the first to be better.


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## BAWIG05

The First DS Cello concerto is a bit better, I think, although the second was written for Slava Rostropovich, who premired the recordings of both works (now on CD).


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## World Violist

Wasn't there a "Sinfonia Concertante" for cello/orchestra also (Shosty)? Was that the Second?


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## Badinerie

The Haydn Concerto's do it for me, and of course Du Pre's Elgar. The live version preferably.
Then, I like Du Pre full stop. Apart from Bach where I prefer Paul Tortelier.


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## Celloman

I'm a cellist, so I definitely have some favorites!

Dvorak #1, Saint-Saens, Elgar, Shostakovich #1, Schumann

Of these, I've played the Saint-Saens and the Schumann.


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## oisfetz

Dvorak No1? It's an early work he never finished, completed and revised
by Milos Sadlo who made first recording. You mean op.104?
Saint-Saëns which concerto?. You mean the first?


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## Guest

The "sinfonia concertante" was by Prokofiev; and that was indeed _his_ second cello concerto, yes.

And I'd like to opine that the second of Shostakovich's is better than the first, though it's never been played as well. Also I wouldn't want Sam (or anyone else) to miss the screaming sax solo in Kabalevsky's second cello concerto.


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## john august smith

Sir, I once owned a recording "LP" of the dvorak cello concerto performed by zara nelsova with boult conducting the london symphony that was splendid. the final few bars with the introduction of the brass was hair raising. I have never found a recording to egual it.


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## World Violist

I thought Mischa Maisky's was really good. The finale was amazing, in my opinion, especially the second half of it.


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## haedme

I can recommend the concerto by Gerald Finzi. It's a great piece of music.


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## opus67

I don't know why I forgot to post this a long time back: For a very enjoyable, lively cello concerto from the Baroque period, listen to C.P.E. Bach's A major concerto, Wq.172, H.439. (The third movement especially!) The only recording I have heard so far is this one.


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## Guest

Speaking as former cellist, I cannot go past the Dvorak Cello Concerto and the Rostropovich recording. For me it is the ultimate cello concerto by the ultimate artist.


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## opus67

anmarwis said:


> Speaking as former cellist, I cannot go past the Dvorak Cello Concerto and the Rostropovich recording. For me it is the ultimate cello concerto by the ultimate artist.


Which one are you talking about?


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## World Violist

I think anmarwis talks about the Slava/Karajan/BPO recording. It is indeed a reference recording these days. I like Mischa Maisky's recording as well; it was my introduction to the piece and the last movement truly is one of the great endings of any concerto for any instrument. And Maisky plays it as such in his recording (paired with Bloch's Schelomo, another great cello-orchestra piece).


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## opus67

World Violist said:


> I think anmarwis talks about the Slava/Karajan/BPO recording. It is indeed a reference recording these days.


While it may be, quite a few prefer the one with Ozawa, and some others may even like a Soviet-era recording.


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## Mark Harwood

If you value elegance, melody and charm, please listen to the 'cello concertos by Luigi Boccherini.


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## Guest

My original version is a mono LP of Rostropovich with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Adrian Boult which is very worn (the first recording I ever purchased) in 1961. The version I referred to is the CD with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Karajan and also contains the Tschaikovsky Rococo Variations.


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## Elgarian

Reading through this thread, I see that the Elgar cello concerto gets a lot of mentions, and the most highly recommended version is the du Pre/Barbirolli. And I can't argue with that as a first choice. If you're only going to own one recording, it makes sense to get the du Pre, and I've loved it for years.

But here and now, with a lot of water having passed under the bridge, if I had to choose only one version to keep, it wouldn't be du Pre. It would be Beatrice Harrison, with Elgar himself conducting. She was Elgar's cellist of choice when he conducted the work. The recording is as close to getting Elgar's seal of approval as we could ask for. It's been beautifully cleaned up and remastered, so that even though it was made in 1928, it can be listened to with relative comfort. And after hearing Beatrice Harrison play it, many times, I find du Pre comes over as just a bit extravagant; over the top; stunningly brilliant, but with a hint of teetering on the brink of flashy. OK, OK, so I'm posthumously infatuated with Beatrice Harrison and hopelessly biased as a result. I admit it. But even so, why not try her lovely, lovely recording of the Elgar cello concerto? It's the Real Thing.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-conducts/dp/B000Q6ZGR0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1220128764&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Symphony-No-Cello-Concerto/dp/B000NTPAN0/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1220128676&sr=1-8


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## Air

Saint Saens's Cello Concerto, anyone?


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## YsayeOp.27#6

airad2 said:


> Saint Saens's Cello Concerto, anyone?


Which one?


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## Zombo

The greatest cello concerto IMO is the one by Witold Lutosławski.

After that I would go with Gerald Finzi (amazing and underrated), Samuel Barber, Aram Khachaturian, Dmitri Shostakovich No. 1, Edward Elgar, Ernst Toch, Frederick Delius, Aarre Merikanto.


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## selectguy

World Violist said:


> Dvorak and Elgar are the almost unanimously greatest cello concerti ever written (especially the Dvorak; Elgar's only reached such heights after Jacqueline du Pre's legendary performances of it, while Dvorak's started with _Brahms'_ approval).


Yes I agree with you to some extent, regarding Jacqueline Du Pre's performance, but there was once someone far greater than her who performed Elgar's Cello concerto and brought Elgar to the forefront before Du Pre was born- at the time, he was considered the worlds greatest Cellists. His name was Paul Tortelier.

If you ever get the the chance to hear his now rare recording of Elgars Cello concerto, only then, will you be able to grasp what I am saying here.

If you would like to know more about Paul Tortelier....go here and read about him

http://www.cello.org/cnc/tortel.htm

selectguy


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## Kuhlau

Thank God at least two members have made mention of Finzi's Cello Concerto. Now, I'm not going to put it on a par with Shostakovich's pair, Elgar's or Dvorak's. But I do heartily recommend it to anyone who loves bittersweet music.

A word of warning, however: of the three recordings that get recommended, the one to go for, IMO, is the version on Naxos with Tim Hugh as soloist. He finds the heart and soul of this fine concerto and gives to it that which Yo Yo Ma simply can't, despite his credible effort on the recently reissued Lyrita release. Ralph Wallfisch, OTOH, is the one to avoid. He horribly sentimentalises the work, weakening the stormy anger of the first movement and giving the beautiful slow movement far too much Hollywood 'soft focus', so to speak. 

FK


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## jurianbai

again favorite pieces come from my favorite composer and era. anyone mentioned Luigi Boccherini cello concertos? he is said as a cello virtuoso.

enjoy this pieces :


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## World Violist

selectguy said:


> Yes I agree with you to some extent, regarding Jacqueline Du Pre's performance, but there was once someone far greater than her who performed Elgar's Cello concerto and brought Elgar to the forefront before Du Pre was born- at the time, he was considered the worlds greatest Cellists. His name was Paul Tortelier.
> 
> If you ever get the the chance to hear his now rare recording of Elgars Cello concerto, only then, will you be able to grasp what I am saying here.
> 
> If you would like to know more about Paul Tortelier....go here and read about him
> 
> http://www.cello.org/cnc/tortel.htm
> 
> selectguy


Thanks much for the recommendation; I have definitely of Paul Tortelier before, but I didn't know he too made a legendary Elgar recording.


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## unpocoscherzando

I'd highly recommend, from the 20th century, Arthur Honegger's Cello Concerto as well as the two from Joaquin Rodrigo, especially the first - Concierto en modo galante and Concierto como un divertimento.

Also, you may enjoy _The Protecting Veil_ by John Tavener. Its possibly his best work and is quite unlike any other cello concerto you're likely to hear. He has composed two other concertante pieces for cello and orchestra which are less striking, but enjoyable nonetheless.


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## Taneyev

If they were already mentioned, sorry, but my favorites (besides Dvorak's op.104 and Elgar's) are:
The 4 by Popper
The 2 Kabalevskys
The 2 Victor Herbert
Khatchaturian
Miaskovsky
The 2 Saint-Saëns
And the bizarre Friedrich Gulda


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## Klavierspieler

My favourites are:

Schumann (duh)
Dvořák
Elgar


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## myaskovsky2002

SamGuss said:


> In the similar vein from the favorite violin concerto thread, I am interested in everyone's opinions on Cello Concerto's.
> 
> I've only heard a few so far, but what I have heard I have immensely enjoyed. So what would you recommend to a newb who only knows "I like Cello Concerto's so far!" and what are your favorite Cello Concerto's?



















Needless to say more

Martin


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## Vaneyes

Two favorites from Classical and Modern.


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## Vaneyes

Zombo said:


> The greatest cello concerto IMO is the one by Witold Lutosławski.
> 
> After that I would go with Gerald Finzi (amazing and underrated), Samuel Barber, Aram Khachaturian, Dmitri Shostakovich No. 1, Edward Elgar, Ernst Toch, Frederick Delius, Aarre Merikanto.


Good mention, the Lutoslawski. The EMI Rostropovich is my preferred recording, but I can't help but think of Ma's stunning performance with Salonen, on PBS. Too, while speaking of, Ma's PBS Dvorak with Maazel...the most powerful Dvorak I've seen or heard. It was over the top and glorious.


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## chalkpie

Lutoslawski
Ligeti


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## Art Rock

Moeran, Finzi, Bax.


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## Dimboukas

Don't you think that the Schumann' Cello Concerto is a very peculiar piece of music? One has to get used to it to like it, but afterwards it is fantastic!


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## Progstreaming

Strange nobody mentioned Glière. His Cello Concerto is not my absolute favorite, but a great one, and in need for rediscovery. Also, I very much like the already mentioned Myaskovsky Cello Concerto.


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## Ukko

Kabalevky/Shaham/Kabalevsky

Dvorak/Rose

Elgar/duPre


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## suffolkcoastal

Has anyone mentioned the Barber, I love this concerto. Other American concertos include a typically energetic one from Peter Mennin, one from Arthur Foote and another from Victor Herbert and there's even one by Virgil Thomson plus William Schuman's A Song of Orpheus a large scale 30 minute work for cello & orchestra.
From the UK I didn't notice Britten's masterly Symphony for Cello & Orchestra, I'm glad the Finzi & Moeran have been mentioned as they are particular favourites of mine as is the underrated Walton concerto, plus the concertos by Arthur Sullivan and the Concerto by Stanford
Two favourite concertos from Denmark are the Holmboe and Koppel, both composers whom I admire and there is the relatively short concerto by the German and friend of Brahms, Volkmann.
In the 20th century the three other concertos I have include those of Lutoslawski, Dutilleux (rather a good one) and the concerto by A Panufnik.


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## suffolkcoastal

Three more British concertos I forgot to mention above, just in case anyone is interested, are the very fine Concerto by Arthur Bliss and concertos by James MacMillan and Alan Rawsthorne.


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## kv466

Shostakovich played by Rostropovich: Cello Concerto no.1 in e-flat, op. 107


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## Ukko

Prokofiev, the Symphony-Concerto, Op.125. Excellent music and a political satire.


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## PetrB

the 20th century is already mentioned by way of Shostakovitch: his 1st Concerto, imo, is 'awesome.'

There are two other mid-century (non avant-garde, i.e. accessible) fine concerti, often overlooked.

One each from: Samuel Barber / William Schuman. Both are good pieces.

Benjamin Britten did not compose one, but did compose some remarkably strong Suites for solo 'Cello you might well enjoy.

The lyrical contemporary composer Henri Dutilleux has another you might want to hear,
Henri Dutilleux ~ Cello Concerto - Tout un monde lointain 'A whole distant world'
I believe there is a recording with the very fine "cellist Lynn Harrell.


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## SuperTonic

PetrB said:


> Benjamin Britten did not compose one...


Britten wrote a Cello Symphony which is a cello concerto in all but name.


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## suffolkcoastal

PetrB said:


> the 20th century is already mentioned by way of Shostakovitch: his 1st Concerto, imo, is 'awesome.'
> 
> There are two other mid-century (non avant-garde, i.e. accessible) fine concerti, often overlooked.
> 
> One each from: Samuel Barber / William Schuman. Both are good pieces.
> 
> Benjamin Britten did not compose one, but did compose some remarkably strong Suites for solo 'Cello you might well enjoy.
> 
> The lyrical contemporary composer Henri Dutilleux has another you might want to hear,
> Henri Dutilleux ~ Cello Concerto - Tout un monde lointain 'A whole distant world'
> I believe there is a recording with the very fine "cellist Lynn Harrell.


As in my earlier post the Britten is a Symphony for Cello & Orchestra and the William Schuman is not titled a concerto it is called A Song of Orpheus.


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## LezLee

I’d like to suggest Peter Sculthorpe’s lovely ‘Cello Dreaming’, not strictly speaking a concerto, but it’s a solo cello with orchestra so why not?
Unfortunately for some reason it’s not available on YouTube so there’s nowhere to listen to it unless you’ve got Spotify.


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## MusicSybarite

LezLee said:


> I'd like to suggest Peter Sculthorpe's lovely 'Cello Dreaming', not strictly speaking a concerto, but it's a solo cello with orchestra so why not?
> Unfortunately for some reason it's not available on YouTube so there's nowhere to listen to it unless you've got Spotify.


I listened to this piece on last Friday. Absolutely gorgeous, a worthy piece to appreciate.


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## SONDEK

When it comes to great cello concertos, I find I always return to HAYDN's Cello Concertos Nos 1 & 2.

To my ears, these works have stood the test of time and are still delightful listening.

What is most interesting - to me - is the following NAXOS issue by KANTA/CI/BREINA. It is immaculately played and recorded, but furthermore, cellist LUDOVIT CANTA puts her own spin on the close of the No. 1 (Movement 2, Adagio), with a gorgeous bit of cello improvisation.
(Frankly, after enjoying KANTA in the No. 1, it's hard to find satisfaction elsewhere.









The other version I'd like to recommend is the RCA HARNOY/TCO/ROBINSON readings from the early 1980s. Cellist OFRA HARNOY achieves a simply ravishing tone with highly sympathetic support by PAUL ROBINSON and his Canadians. The RCA boys got the engineering 100% right on the day and best of all - this issue is still around on vinyl LP.









If you love cello, I suspect you will love these outings.


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## R3PL4Y

Ginastera's two cello concertos are two really great more modernist pieces. William Walton also has a very good cello concerto.


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## Pugg

Not to be missed: Popper: Cello Concertos 1-3/ Vieuxtemps: Cello Concertos


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## MusicSybarite

I recommend these ones:

Schnittke - No. 1
Villa-Lobos - No. 2
Lutoslawski
Weinberg
Volkmann
Lalo
Dietrich
d'Albert
Miaskovsky
Schoeck
Atterberg
Martinu - No. 2
Honegger
Moeran
Hindemith - Both
Finzi
Penderecki - No. 1
Kabalevsky - No. 2
Jolivet - Both
Barber
Englund
Walton


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## cougarjuno

I love the Shostakovich #1 as well as Elgar, Haydn, Saint Saens #1 --
But the Cyril Scott Cello Concerto is absolutely magnificent!! The one by Bax is fine too


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## eric444

cougarjuno said:


> I love the Shostakovich #1 as well as Elgar, Haydn, Saint Saens #1 --
> But the Cyril Scott Cello Concerto is absolutely magnificent!! The one by Bax is fine too


Right! I see lots of outstanding reviews for Cyril Scott Cello Concerto too.


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## Donna Elvira

BuddhaBandit said:


> I certainly do!
> 
> And, of course, don't forget the rather underrated P.D.Q. Bach!


 There's a thread pieces that make you cry....there should be a new one....pieces that make you laugh, PDQ Bach :lol:


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## Donna Elvira

I would like to recommend a tonal but more modern cello concerto.
Dutilleux Concerto for Cello "Tout un monde lointain"	conducted by Baudo with the Orch. de Paris, played by	Rostropovich, but the one played by Harrell with Dutoit and the French National Orchestra is equally good, and you get also his Concerto for Violin "L'arbre des songes" played by Amoyal.

Dutilleux is among my favorites of 20th Century composers.

EDIT: Looking back I see that this was already mentioned by PetrB, I second his recommendation.


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## Roger Knox

*Piatigorsky and Walton*



Gregor Piatigorsky is another great cellist worth taking a look at. He's from the first half of the 20th century (so said:


> I heard Piatigorsky talk about Walton at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Ca, summer of 1973. He had comissioned and premiered the Cello Concerto, and his comment about Walton was, "Play everything big!" The 2015 recording by Paul Watkins with the BBC Symphony/ Edward Gardner is big and excellent too!


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## Star

PetrB said:


> the 20th century is already mentioned by way of Shostakovitch: his 1st Concerto, imo, is 'awesome.'
> 
> There are two other mid-century (non avant-garde, i.e. accessible) fine concerti, often overlooked.
> 
> One each from: Samuel Barber / William Schuman. Both are good pieces.
> 
> *Benjamin Britten did not compose one,* but did compose some remarkably strong Suites for solo 'Cello you might well enjoy.
> 
> The lyrical contemporary composer Henri Dutilleux has another you might want to hear,
> Henri Dutilleux ~ Cello Concerto - Tout un monde lointain 'A whole distant world'
> I believe there is a recording with the very fine "cellist Lynn Harrell.


Britten cello symphony is almost a concerto.


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## Star

I enjoyed the Shostakovich when played by the young man at BBC Young Musician.

Went and bought the version by Rostropovich which is incredible.


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## KenOC

Star said:


> Britten cello symphony is almost a concerto.


Or, more than a concerto. It is among the very best pieces of this sort of the 20th century.


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## CnC Bartok

I would venture the opinion that the Shostakovich Second Concerto is streets ahead of the First. It's debatably the first work in his "later style" but isn't unabated bleakness, a remarkably powerful work. Schiff does it exceptionally well.

The Panufnik Concerto is harder to get, but it's a very strong piece.

Not mentioned yet: Aulis Sallinen wrote a very good bona fide Concerto, and there's also his Chamber Music III, the Nocturnal Dances of Don Juanquixote. It moves seamlessly between nightmare and damned good fun. Thoroughly entertaining stuff!!


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## Enthusiast

I would recommend quite a number of Cello Concertos, many already mentioned. Firstly, I do think a collection of CPE Bach's concertos and another of Vivaldi's (I am happy with Doltiens' two CDs) are well worth spending time with. And, of course, the Dvorak, the Elgar and the Brahms double are all essential. The Twentieth Century was really good for cello works (partly because of Rostropovich's many commissions) and I could never be without the two Shostakovich concertos (I agree the Second one is the greater), the two Schnittkes, the Dutilleux, the Ligeti and the Lutoslawski. I would definitely include the Britten symphony as well.

My jury is still out on the Schumann and the Haydns. There are quite a few other cello concertos that I enjoy, most of them modern, but the ones above come first for me.


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## KenOC

Here's one to check out -- often attributed to JC Bach, it's a quite popular forgery from the 20th century thanks to that rascal Henri Casadesus.


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## kyjo

As a cellist myself, I think the standard cello repertoire is woefully limited. Here are some of my favorite lesser-known cello concerti that I've discovered:

Martinu 1 and 2
Atterberg
Vasks
Schnittke 1
Volkmann
Herbert 2
Moeran
Finzi
Bridge _Oration_
Honegger
Martin
Kabalevsky 2
Miaskovsky
Weinberg
Schmitt _Introit, recit, et conge_
Kapustin 2
Englund
Akutagawa
Villa-Lobos 2
Stephen Albert
Daugherty _Tales of Hemingway_


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