Here is our selection of the greatest pieces ever written for cello and orchestra. Do you agree? <\/p>
Unlike its smaller cousin the violin<\/a>, the cello\u2019s lower register has to fight a little harder to be heard above the sound of a mighty symphony orchestra.<\/strong><\/p>\n However, the instrument\u2019s gorgeous, soulful sound has still proven irresistible to composers, who have valiantly taken up the challenge with some glorious results.<\/p>\n Here are ten of the very best concertos written for cello and orchestra\u2026<\/p>\n Perhaps the most famous of all works for the cello, and immortalised in the dramatic, highly charged performances of Jacqueline du Pr\u00e9<\/a><\/strong>, Elgar\u2019s Cello Concerto<\/a><\/strong> was composed following the First World War. Contemplative and melancholic, the four-movement work was first recorded by Beatrice Harrison under the composer himself, but it was not until Du Pr\u00e9\u2019s 1965 recording<\/a><\/strong> with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli that the work found popularity.<\/p>\n It has since been recorded and performed in concert by most of the world\u2019s leading cellists \u2013 though Mstislav Rostropovich<\/a><\/strong> stopped performing the concerto on hearing Du Pr\u00e9\u2019s recording, saying: \u2018My pupil, Jacqueline du Pr\u00e9, played it much better than I.\u2019 And indeed, we put du Pr\u00e9\u2019s recording with the London Symphony Orchestra and John Barbirolli top of our list of Elgar Cello Concerto best recordings<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n du Pr\u00e9 \/ London Symphony Orchestra \/ John Barbirolli<\/p>\nThe best cello concertos of all time<\/h1>\n
Elgar<\/a>: Cello Concerto<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Elgar Cello Concerto: Recommended recording<\/h3>\n