Unsung Romantic Cello Concertos

[John Hudock]

Here are some romantic cello concertos that I don't think have been mentioned yet:

Camille Saint-Saens (2 concertos + several lovely pieces for cello & orch)
Max Bruch (not quite concertos, but several beautiful pieces for cello & orch)
(Saint-Saens and Bruch are not exactly unsungs, but their cello concertante pieces are not very well know I think)

Siegfried Salomon
Miklos Rosza
Kenneth Leighton
Erich Korngold
Frederich Gernsheim
Gunnar de Frumerie
Albert Dietrich
Heitor Villa-Lobos (2)
Josef Rejcha (2 + a double concerto for 2 violins or violin & cello)
Sergei Bortkiewicz (beautiful work, currently only available from radio broadcast of unknown Ukrainian orchestra)
Arthur Bliss
Arnold Bax


Some lovely earlier concertos:

Carl Stamitz
Ignaz Pleyel
Leopold Hofmann
CPE Bach

And some worthwhile modern concertos:

Lukas Foss
Einar Englund
Aulis Sallinen
Alberto Ginastera
Alan Rawsthorne
Christopher Rouse
Ahmed Adnan Saygun
Alfred Schnittke
Rodion Shchedrin
Lepo Sumera
Mieczyslaw Weinberg
Erikki-Sven Tuur
Peteris Vasks
Virgil Thomson
Tobias Picker
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Arvo Part
Krystof Penderecki
Andrej Panufnik
Maurice Ohana
Ib Norholm
Darius Milhaud
Peter Mennin
Bohuslav Martinu
Witold Lutoslawski
George Lloyd
Joonas Kokkonen
Andre Jolivet
Arthur Honegger
Paul Hindemith
John Harbison
David Diamond
Pascal Dusapin
Alfredo Casella
Elliot Carter
William Busch
Gavin Bryars
Michael Berkeley (son of Lennox Berkeley)
Sally Beamish
Samuel Barber
Henk Badings
David Baker
Nicolas Bacri
Stephen Albert
Kalevi Aho

[TerraEpon]

(Saint-Saens and Bruch are not exactly unsungs, but their cello concertante pieces are not very well know I think)

That statement....uh.

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto #1 -- easily one of the main  stays of the repertoire.
Bruch's Kol Niedre -- Certainly decently known, most surely his third most popular piece after the VC #1 and the Scottish Fantasy

I'll give you the others,  especially for Bruch.

[John Hudock]

My comment was not meant to include Kol Nidre or the Saint-Saens 1st, but rather things like Bruch's Kanzone and Ave Maria and Saint-Saens Suite, Allegro Appasionato and to some extent his 2nd which is less well known. But thanks for nitpicking!

[JimL]

I used to own an LP with all of Saint-Saens' concertante works for cello.  I think it was on either Philips or Angel (EMI).  If anybody remembers that LP, who was the cellist?

[eschiss1]

I used to own an LP with all of Saint-Saens' concertante works for cello.  I think it was on either Philips or Angel (EMI).  If anybody remembers that LP, who was the cellist?

The Philips one was solo'd by Christine Walevska.  (Borrowed a tape version of that from a local library and sort of remember it, but Google confirms )
Eric

[JimL]

That name rings a bell.  Must've been the one.  Thanks a million, Eric!

[peter_conole]

Hi all

The Davidov concertos 3 and 4 are now available on CPO. Both superb works, rewarding in every way.

Also worth checking out is an obscure 1873  a minor concerto by Wilhelm Fitzenhagen. On the OEHMS Classics and still available from JPC, I believe. It is a naive charmer, a brief (about 20 minutes) work for virtuoso display.

In a similar vein - five fairly short concertos (two discs) composed in 1887-1888 by Franz Neruda.  Also a CPO release.

regards
Peter

[Kriton]

Think the below have yet to be mentioned:

Wolf-Ferrari's cello concerto (on CPO). Modest, like the rest of his music, but no less beautiful.

Bengtsson's cello concerto (on Sterling). Hauntingly beautiful, might have to let it grow on you.

And then there are some unsung English works as well. Oration for cello & orchestra by Bridge is a bit too modern for me, but the Scott cello concerto I love! Also, the Delius concerto is one of those things that makes you wonder why it isn't played more often. Invocation by Holst is quite nice, but not a big discovery...

[Kriton]

Forget to say, I love Pfitzner's cello concertos! True representatives of overripe romanticism on the verge of dying. Comparing the 1st with the 3rd is quite interesting, and not a boring task because of their beautiful melodic material!

[FBerwald]

The Finzi Cello Concerto is aso quite hauntingly beautiful!!!!!!

Any news on Hyperion's Romantic Cello Concertos ... further issues....?

[pcc]

I am surprised no-one has mentioned the Georg Goltermann cello concertos (or have they, and I've missed them?).  They were mainstays a century ago, and what I've seen is quite lovely.  One or two might warrant new recordings.  At the moment what I have is a cylinder recording of the slow mvt from  his no. 2 played by studio cello regular Louis Heine with an orchestra conducted by Louis von der Mehden -- very expressive playing, very lyric writing.

[pcc]

My mistake: my cylinder (a U-S Everlasting) is from Goltermann's no. 1, and Casals evidently also recorded that mvt. in his early Columbia sessions.  On glancing over what I have, concerto no.5 might be a real find -- the slow mvt. is rather more adventurous than what I'd expected, and the finale has a lot of zip and wit.

I should want to see the complete Suite for cello and orchestra op. 3 by Herbert recorded; at least a CD reissue of the two mvts. on the Nonesuch LP (with his stunningly beautiful Serenade op. 12, the "Liebeslied" of which just makes me melt).

[Kriton]

The Davidov concertos 3 and 4 are now available on CPO. Both superb works, rewarding in every way.

Meanwhile, Regis is issuing the Davidov 1 & 2, hopefully followed by a 3 & 4, later. Does anyone know from which label they licensed those recordings?

[Pengelli]

I must confess to being allergic to the instrument. I find it so doleful. But hey,my problem!

[Kriton]

I must confess to being allergic to the instrument. I find it so doleful. But hey,my problem!

Indeed; I think the neoplasticism has gone to your head...