# Cello suggestions



## Doccam (Jul 20, 2015)

Hello there, I'm a complete classical music neophyte and I was wondering if someone would be willing to give me some help/an opinion. I've recently been given a copy of some Bach cello Suites being performed by Yo-Yo Ma, and I'm absolutely absorbed by it. I wanted to track down more music similar to this, specifically focused on cello. One thing I quite enjoy about the work is the fact that it's just the cello and nothing else, I am particularly fond of this. Please forgive any ignorance or naivete on my part, I truly am completely new to classical music. Thanks!


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

There isn't a lot of solo cello music. Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály wrote a sonata for solo cello:






Telemann is another choice:


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

- Crumb: Solo Cello Sonata. An obvious, unmissable option.
- Reger: 3 Cello Suites. A bit in the style of Bach.

A bit more complicated solo cello works:

- Britten: 3 Cello Suites
- Weinberg: 4 Cello Solo Sonatas
- Nørgård: 3 Solo Sonatas
- Gubaidulina: Preludes
- Bantock: Sonata
- Ysaye: Sonata
- Nørholm: In the Middle of Darkness
- Nordheim: Clamavi
- Ligeti: Sonata
- Veress: Sonata


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## Guest (Jul 20, 2015)

GreenMamba said:


> *There isn't a lot of solo cello music. *Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály wrote a sonata for solo cello:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Erroneous!

I'll post some later, perhaps


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## Grizzled Ghost (Jun 10, 2015)

You might consider music written for a cello and piano. There is lots of lovely music for this combo!


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Going a little beyond your solo cello brief, there is a _*lot*_ of very good music for 'cello and piano...


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## Doccam (Jul 20, 2015)

Oh that does sound rather nice, any suggestions of where to get started? I only ask since you mention there is a lot


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## Doccam (Jul 20, 2015)

Good to hear! And please, at your leisure


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## Balthazar (Aug 30, 2014)

This is an excellent recent collection of solo cello works. In addition to the Kodály sonata mentioned above, it includes Cassadó's Suite for Solo Cello; Golijov's Omaramor; and Bright Sheng's Seven Tunes Heard in China.










For recommendations on works for cello and piano, check out this recent thread.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Malcolm Arnold composed a toothsome Fantasy for Solo Cello op. 130. As I recall, it was written for Julian Lloyd-Webber and was one of his final works.

Here's a link to a recording by JL-W himself:


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## Guest (Jul 20, 2015)

TurnaboutVox said:


> Going a little beyond your solo cello brief, there is a _*lot*_ of very good music for 'cello and piano...


But but... There's tons of solo cello music too....


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

nathanb said:


> But but... There's tons of solo cello music too....


No, not really tons. Certainly it's much smaller than solo piano. A number of major composers didn't write any solo cello.


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## PierreN (Aug 4, 2013)

Doccam said:


> Oh that does sound rather nice, any suggestions of where to get started? I only ask since you mention there is a lot


You may want to consider Bach's three Sonatas for Viola da Gamba BWV 1027-29.
I especially like the version with Glenn Gould and Leonard Rose. This is bundled with the six Violin Sonatas BWV1014-19, with Glenn Gould and Jaime Laredo.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The Gould/Rose gamba sonatas (on cello here) are tremendous. I have had and loved this recording for many years.


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2015)

GreenMamba said:


> No, not really tons. Certainly it's much smaller than solo piano. A number of major composers didn't write any solo cello.


I would feel pretty comfortable guessing that no instrument is represented in a solo format as much as piano


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2015)

Here's some solo cello things I like... (excluding the Bach, ofc)***

Alberto Ginastera: _Puneña No. 2_
Alfred Schnittke: _Klingende Buchstaben_
Alois Hába: _Suite For Solo Cello_
Aribert Reimann: _Solo II_
Arne Nordheim: _Clamavi_
Beat Furrer: _Solo_
Benjamin Britten: _Cello Suite No. 3_
Bernd Alois Zimmermann: _Sonata For Solo Cello_
Einojuhani Rautavaara: _Sonata For Solo Cello_
Elliott Carter: _Figment No. 1_
Esa-Pekka Salonen: _YTA III_
Giacinto Scelsi: _Trilogia_
György Ligeti: _Sonata For Solo Cello_
Hans-Joachim Hespos: _Für Cello Solo_
H.E. Erwin Walther: _Katenarien_
Helmut Lachenmann: _Pression_
Henri Dutilleux: _Strophes Sur De Nom De Sacher_
Iannis Xenakis: _Nomos Alpha_
James Dillon: _Parjanya-Vata_
Jason Eckardt: _A Way (Tracing)_
John Cage: _Etudes Boreales_
Kaija Saariaho: _Sept Papillons_
Karlheinz Stockhausen: _In Freundschaft_
Klaus Huber: _Transpositio Ad Infinitum_
Luciano Berio: _Sequenza XIV_
Mark Andre: _iv 2_
Pascal Dusapin: _Invece_
Per Nørgård: _Sonata No. 2 For Solo Cello_
Sofia Gubaidulina: _Ten Preludes_
Tristan Murail: _Attracteurs étranges_

***Also excluding various things for solo cello and tape or electronics or whatever. Nothing but the cello for now!


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## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)




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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

As others have indicated, most music for cello is when it is combined with other instruments. I recommend giving the Beethoven Cello Sonatas a listen, along with Concertos by Dvorak and Elgar


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## papsrus (Oct 7, 2014)

For anyone interested in cello, Jacqueline Du Pre is not to be missed, particularly this set.


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## rrudolph (Sep 15, 2011)

I just picked this up two days ago and am really enjoying it. I especially like the Magnard sonata.


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## Grizzled Ghost (Jun 10, 2015)

^^^ Very nice album. One of my faves.

Digging through my collection for other faves. Lots of goods to very goods. This one is great:

Sonia Wieder-Atherton: Chants Juifs


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## Clayton (Nov 10, 2013)

papsrus said:


> For anyone interested in cello, Jacqueline Du Pre is not to be missed, particularly this set.


Yes I second du Pré

Jacqueline du Pré
Bach, J S:
Cello Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV1007
Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV1008
Elgar:
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
(recorded live in Prague)
Jacqueline du Pré (cello)
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli









I'm never sure whether I have my emotions confused when I hear this (I lost my father to ALS, the illness du Pré suffered from) but this almost always moves me to tears...


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## Doccam (Jul 20, 2015)

I just want to say a sincere thank you to all the posters thus far, this has been incredibly helpful and I'm enjoying some of the suggestions immensely!


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## echmain (Jan 18, 2013)

Not classical music, but I thought some people in this forum might dig it:


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## fjf (Nov 4, 2014)

Not solo cello, but I like this one a lot:


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## cwarchc (Apr 28, 2012)

This is my latest cello cd








Some of the earliest, electronic recordings, played by one of the worlds finest
Surprising good sound quality, considering they were recorded 90 years ago


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