{"id":49251,"date":"2024-11-07T12:50:56","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T11:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ea3eb422-af72-4325-a211-b73e1bc7a9ef"},"modified":"2024-11-07T14:07:16","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T13:07:16","slug":"ranked-the-ten-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time-and-the-revelatory-recordings-you-need","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/ranked-the-ten-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time-and-the-revelatory-recordings-you-need\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranked: the ten best cello concertos of all time – and the revelatory recordings you need"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Charlotte Smith\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 07 November 2024 at 11:50 AM<\/p>

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Unlike its smaller cousin the violin<\/a>, the cello’s lower register has to fight a little harder to make itself heard above the sound of a mighty symphony orchestra.<\/strong> However, the instrument’s gorgeous, soulful sound has still proven irresistible to composers, who have valiantly taken up the challenge with some glorious results in concerto<\/a><\/strong> form. Here are ten of the very best greatest cello concertos in the classical repertoire…<\/p>

These are the 50 greatest composers of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul>

<\/div> <\/figure> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time\">The ten best cello concertos ever written<\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-schumann-cello-concerto\"><strong>10. Schumann: Cello Concerto<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Completed over a period of just two short weeks in 1850, this singular work was premiered in April 1860, four years after <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/robert-schumann\/\">Schumann<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s death. The concerto is characterised by a lengthy exposition and an intensely lyrical second movement. The whole is held together by recurring thematic material that is developed throughout.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/schumann-suicide-attempt\">Schumann’s suicide attempt: how mental illness and money woes pushed a great composer close to the edge<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>Despite this, the work explores a range of moods and charts a complex emotional journey. Despite its inherent difficulty, the concerto avoids showy virtuosic display. As Schumann famously declared, \u2018I cannot write a concerto for the virtuosos. I must try for something else.\u2019<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-schumann-cello-concerto-recommended-recording\"><strong>Schumann<\/strong><strong> Cello Concerto: <\/strong>Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Mischa Maisky \/ Orpheus Chamber Orchestra<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B00004Z4Y2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lutoslawski-cello-concerto\"><strong>9. Lutos\u0142awski: Cello Concerto<\/strong><\/h3> <p>The next entry in our list of greatest cello concertos reaches far into the 20th century. Premiered in London in 1970 by Rostropovich, this is one of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/witold-lutoslawski\/\">Lutos\u0142awski<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s most celebrated works. A continuous four-movement piece, scored for large orchestra, it consists of multiple musical ideas which are combined with impressive economy to form a complex tapestry of sound.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-cello-works\/\"><strong>Six of the best works<\/strong> <strong>for the cello<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <p>Opening, rather unusually, with unaccompanied cello, the orchestra gradually enters the fray by way of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/trumpet-guide\/\">trumpets<\/a><\/strong>, followed by the brass section and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/steve-reich-s-best-works-percussion\/\">percussion<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-lutoslawski-cello-concerto-recommended-recording\"><strong>Lutos\u0142awski Cello Concerto: <\/strong>Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Rafa\u0142 Kwiatkowski \/ Warsaw Philharmonic \/ Antoni Wit<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Concerto-Orchestra-Cello-Lutoslawski\/dp\/B000A1ILGO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>8. Bruch: <em>Kol Nidrei<\/em><\/strong><\/h3> <p>Next in our list of greatest cello concertos is a piece that is not strictly a cello concerto at all! Nonetheless, this dramatic work for cello and orchestra earns a place in our list due to its ubiquity on concert stages around the world. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/max-bruch\/\">Max Bruch<\/a><\/strong>, who was not <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/jewish-composers-suppressed-by-nazis\">Jewish<\/a><\/strong> but rather a Protestant, composed a series of variations on two main Jewish folk themes in his 1880 work.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/greatest-piano-concertos-all-time\">The greatest piano concertos of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>\u2018Even though I am a Protestant, as an artist I deeply felt the outstanding beauty of these melodies and therefore I gladly spread them through my arrangement,\u2019 he wrote in a letter.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bruch-kol-nidrei-recommended-recording\"><strong>Bruch <em>Kol Nidrei<\/em>: <\/strong>Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Jacqueline du Pr\u00e9 \/ Israel Philharmonic Orchestra \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/who-is-daniel-barenboim\/\"><strong>Daniel Barenboim<\/strong><\/a><\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B00005YUB5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><strong>Buy from Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tchaikovsky-variations-on-a-rococo-theme\"><strong>7. Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme<\/strong><\/h3> <p>The second non-concerto on our list also earns its place through sheer popularity with both soloists and audiences. That, and because it\u2019s the closest work to a cello concerto that <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky\/\">Tchaikovsky<\/a><\/strong> composed. The piece is Classical in style and the Rococo theme is actually an original tune in the late Baroque style.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-tchaikovskys-violin-concerto\">Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto: the best recording of this passionate Romantic masterpiece<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/tchaikovsky-wife\">Tchaikovsky resolved to marry – anyone – in 1876. What happened next?<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>The work’s first performer was Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, a colleague of Tchaikovsky\u2019s at the Moscow Conservatory, in 1877. Comprising a theme and eight <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/what-are-variations\">variations<\/a><\/strong>, the work features no orchestral interludes, meaning the soloist performs continuously without breaks. Also a challenge is the work\u2019s range \u2013 mostly performed at the upper end of the cellist\u2019s register in the difficult thumb position.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/greatest-musical-variations\">The seven greatest sets of variations ever written<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/why-do-so-many-composers-write-variations\">This is why so many composers write variations<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tchaikovsky-rococo-variations-recommended-recording\"><strong>Tchaikovsky<\/strong><strong> Rococo Variations: <\/strong>Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Gautier Capu\u00e7on \/ Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra \/ Valery Gergiev<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B002WQ5CP8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tachaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33 - Yo-yo Ma, cello\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MLdfAGV3zL8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6.<\/strong> <strong>Walton: Cello Concerto<\/strong><\/h3> <p>The third of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/walton-william\/\">William Walton<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s concertos for solo strings (following the 1929 <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/waltons-viola-concerto-guide-best-recordings\/\">Viola Concerto<\/a><\/strong> and 1939 Violin Concerto), his <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/waltons-cello-concerto\/\">Cello Concerto<\/a><\/strong> was composed in 1956 and premiered by Gregor Piatigorsky, who worked closely with Walton during the composition process.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/best-recordings-william-walton\">William Walton: the best recordings<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-violin-concertos-of-all-time\/\"><strong>The greatest violin concertos of all time<\/strong><\/a><\/li> <\/ul> <p>Considered by some to be old-fashioned for its time, the concerto is certainly warm and tuneful. However, it deviates from the standard <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/best-romantic-composers\">Romantic<\/a><\/strong> pattern of a fast opening movement followed by a slow middle movement. Instead the opening is more expressive, followed by a brisk central <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-scherzo\/\">scherzo<\/a><\/strong>. The third movement consists of a theme and four related improvisations, followed by a lengthy <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-coda\/\">coda<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-walton-cello-concerto-recommended-recording\"><strong>Walton Cello Concerto: <\/strong>Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Gregor Piatigorsky \/ Boston Symphony Orchestra \/ Charles Munch<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B004ARZJNM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gregor Piatigorsky, cello - Walton - Cello Concerto (1957 - video - complete)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jkoX0sVHE5Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best cello concertos of all time: the top five<\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-shostakovich-cello-concerto-no-2\"><strong>5. Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2<\/strong><\/h3> <p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/dmitri-shostakovich\/\">Shostakovich<\/a><\/strong> wrote both his cello concertos for the great <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/mstislav-rostropovich\">Mstislav Rostropovich<\/a><\/strong>. The latter premiered this second work in Moscow in 1966 for the composer\u2019s 60th birthday. The three-movement work is generally thought to signify the beginning of Shostakovich\u2019s late style.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/five-best-shostakovich-conductors\">Five of the best: Shostakovich conductors<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/mstislav-rostropovich-essential-recordings\/\">Rostropovich: the essential recordings<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>More subdued than the bombastic First Concerto, the dark and dramatic Second defies expectations with a quiet, brooding introduction for the soloist and two large outer movements sandwiching a brief <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-scherzo\/\">scherzo<\/a><\/strong>. Shostakovich wrote of the work that he could also have named it \u2018the Fourteenth Symphony with a solo cello part\u2019.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-shostakovich-cello-concerto-no-2-recommended-recording\"><strong>Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2: <\/strong>Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Mstislav Rostropovich \/ Prague Symphony Orchestra \/ Evgeny Svetlanov<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B00CO2S4R8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Saint-Sa\u00ebns: Cello Concerto No. 1<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Composed when <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/camille-saint-saens\/\">Saint-Sa\u00ebns<\/a><\/strong> was 37, this work was first performed in January 1873 at the Paris Conservatoire. Rather than the standard three-movement structure, the concerto instead works as a single movement in three sections that share related ideas.<\/p> <p>The turbulent opening, in which the soloist states the theme rather than following an orchestra introduction, gives way to a muted <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-minuet\/\">minuet<\/a><\/strong> with cello <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-is-a-cadenza\/\">cadenza<\/a><\/strong> before the opening statement reappears followed by several new themes. A highly virtuosic work, in which the soloist is always centre stage, the concerto is a particularly exciting vehicle for leading cellists wanting to showcase their technique and musical range.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong>We named Saint-Sa\u00ebns one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/best-french-composers-ever\">best French composers of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Saint-Sa\u00ebns: 1. Cellokonzert \u2219 hr-Sinfonieorchester \u2219 Gautier Capu\u00e7on \u2219 Alain Altinoglu\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pfBkzWNQTpI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Saint-Sa\u00ebns Cello Concerto No. 1: <\/strong>Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Pieter Wispelwey \/ Flanders Symphony Orchestra \/ Seikyo Kim<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B00BU8EP6Q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <div class=\"wp-block-group highlight-box is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"\/> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-more-greatest-cello-concertos\"><strong>3.<\/strong> <strong>Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Third in our list of greatest cello concertos is a work that lay unheard for two centuries.<\/p> <p>Composed in the early 1760s, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/joseph-haydn-2\/\">Haydn<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/haydns-cello-concertos-1-2\/\">First Cello Concerto<\/a><\/strong> was lost for two hundred years until its rediscovery in 1961. One of the great Classical cello works, the three-movement concerto actually has its roots in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/baroque-music-guide\/\"><strong>Baroque<\/strong><\/a> concerto form of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/johann-sebastian-bach\/\">Bach<\/a><\/strong> with its orchestral <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/what-isritornello\/\"><strong>ritornellos<\/strong><\/a> and single-themed movements. However, it pushes this structure to the limits with a seemingly boundless capacity for secondary ideas.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-of-haydn\">Best of Haydn: five great ways into the brilliant Classical composer<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/haydn-marriage\">Why Haydn’s marriage was doomed from the start<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Haydn: 1. Cellokonzert C-Dur \u2219 hr-Sinfonieorchester \u2219 Steven Isserlis \u2219 Richard Egarr\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OGfeHYyzVtY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>It’s full of virtuosity, from playing at the top of the fingerboard, to dashing runs and quick changes of register. And it\u2019s been a a guaranteed crowd pleaser since its rediscovery some 60 years ago.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-haydn-cello-concerto-no-1-recommended-recording\"><strong>Haydn Cello Concerto No. 1: <\/strong>Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Steven Isserlis \/ Chamber Orchestra of Europe \/ Roger Norrington<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B0000064Y4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Dvo\u0159\u00e1k: Cello Concerto<\/strong><\/h3> <\/div> <\/div> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"\/> <p>One of the most performed cello concertos (alongside the Elgar, above), this is one of two highly successful works composed by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/antonin-dvorak\/\">Dvo\u0159\u00e1k<\/a><\/strong> during his time in the US (the other being the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/the-best-recordings-of-dvoraks-symphony-no-9-from-the-new-world\/\">\u2018New World\u2019 Symphony<\/a><\/strong>). The work was intended for his friend Hanu\u0161 Wihan, but was premiered in London by Leo Stern in 1896.<\/p> <p>A large, tuneful, Romantic work, scored for full symphony orchestra, the concerto is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/what-brought-dvorak-to-the-new-world\/\">infused with a sense of sadness and loss<\/a><\/strong>, not only for Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s Czech homeland, but also for his sister-in-law Josefina, who was dying at the time of its composition, and to whom Dvo\u0159\u00e1k had proposed before being rejected and turning instead to her sister Anna. Upon hearing the work, Dvo\u0159\u00e1k\u2019s mentor <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/johannes-brahms\/\">Brahms<\/a><\/strong> is reported to have said: \u2018If I had known that it was possible to compose such a concerto for the cello, I would have tried it myself!\u2019<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/the-ten-best-czech-composers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">The ten best Czech composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <p>The Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Cello Concerto made an appearance at the 2024 BBC Proms. It saw a fine performance from Anastasia Kobekina, with the Czech Philharmonic and conductor <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/jakub-hrusa\">Jakub Hr\u016f\u0161a<\/a><\/strong>, for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/bbc-proms-today-27-august-2024\">Prom 49<\/a><\/strong> (Tue 27 Aug).<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dvorak-cello-concerto-recommended-recording\"><strong>Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Cello Concerto: <\/strong>Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Alisa Weilerstein \/ Czech Philharmonic \/ Ji\u0159\u00ed B\u011blohl\u00e1vek<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B01NCUSAST\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best cello concertos: the greatest cello concerto of all time<\/h2> <h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Elgar: Cello Concerto<\/strong><\/h3> <p>Perhaps the most famous of all works for the cello, and immortalised in the dramatic, highly charged performances of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/jacqueline-du-pre\/\">Jacqueline du Pr\u00e9<\/a><\/strong>, Elgar\u2019s Cello Concerto was composed following the First World War. Contemplative and melancholic, the four-movement work was first recorded by Beatrice Harrison with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/edward-elgar\/\">Elgar<\/a><\/strong> himself conducting. However, it was du Pr\u00e9\u2019s 1965 recording with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir John Barbirolli that gave the work its popularity.<\/p> <figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"> <div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO, JACQUELINE DU PRE\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UUgdbqt2ON0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/> <\/div> <\/figure> <p>It has since been recorded and performed in concert by most of the world\u2019s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/best-cellists\">best cellists<\/a><\/strong>. That said, Mstislav Rostropovich stopped performing the concerto on hearing Du Pr\u00e9\u2019s recording. \u2018My pupil, Jacqueline du Pr\u00e9, played it much better than I,\u2019 he noted.<\/p> <p>We put du Pr\u00e9’s recording with the LSO top of our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/six-of-the-best-recordings-of-elgars-cello-concerto\/\"><strong>Elgar Cello Concerto best recordings<\/strong><\/a>. This is another cello concerto that got a great performance at the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/bbc-proms\/2024-bbc-proms-listings\">2024 BBC Proms<\/a><\/strong>, as the centrepiece of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/bbc-proms-today-3-august-2024\">Prom 19<\/a><\/strong>, on 3 August 2024.<\/p> <h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-elgar-cello-concerto-recommended-recording\"><strong>Elgar Cello Concerto<\/strong>: Recommended recording<\/h4> <p>Jacqueline du Pr\u00e9 \/ London Symphony Orchestra \/ John Barbirolli<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/dp\/B010OVTNES\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li> <\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Charlotte Smith Published: Thursday, 07 November 2024 at 11:50 AM Unlike its smaller cousin the violin, the cello’s lower register has to fight a little harder to make itself heard above the sound of a mighty symphony orchestra. However, the instrument’s gorgeous, soulful sound has still proven irresistible to composers, who have valiantly taken […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":49252,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"8"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/ranked-the-ten-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time-and-the-revelatory-recordings-you-need.jpg",1200,800,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/ranked-the-ten-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time-and-the-revelatory-recordings-you-need-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/ranked-the-ten-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time-and-the-revelatory-recordings-you-need-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/ranked-the-ten-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time-and-the-revelatory-recordings-you-need-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/ranked-the-ten-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time-and-the-revelatory-recordings-you-need-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/ranked-the-ten-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time-and-the-revelatory-recordings-you-need.jpg",1200,800,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/11\/ranked-the-ten-best-cello-concertos-of-all-time-and-the-revelatory-recordings-you-need.jpg",1200,800,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Charlotte Smith Published: Thursday, 07 November 2024 at 11:50 AM Unlike its smaller cousin the violin, the cello’s lower register has to fight a little harder to make itself heard above the sound of a mighty symphony orchestra. However, the instrument’s gorgeous, soulful sound has still proven irresistible to composers, who have valiantly taken…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/49251"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}