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What is the best cello concerto?

  • Haydn C/D Major

    Votes: 15 8.2%
  • Dvorak B Minor

    Votes: 76 41.5%
  • Elgar

    Votes: 53 29.0%
  • Dutilleux Tout Un Monde Lointain

    Votes: 12 6.6%
  • Lutoslawski

    Votes: 5 2.7%
  • Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante

    Votes: 7 3.8%
  • Tchaikovsky Rococo Var.

    Votes: 12 6.6%
  • Britten Cello Symphony

    Votes: 10 5.5%
  • Shostakovich #1/#2

    Votes: 29 15.8%
  • Other (please specify in thread)

    Votes: 24 13.1%

Best cello concerto

63K views 97 replies 70 participants last post by  LouisMasterMusic 
#1 · (Edited)
What do you think is the best cello concerto ever?

In addition to the ones in the poll, Rozsa, Lalo, Brahms Double, Beethoven Triple, Barber, Rouse, Ligeti, Kabalevsky #1/#2, and Korngold also great concertos.
 
#4 ·
I'm dubious of the term "greatest" used in such a context, but aside from that, I really like the Dutilleux for not only the way it extends the instrument to the limit, but has some wonderful, luscious, nocturnal orchestration. I also like how it was inspired by literature, the poetry of Baudelaire (although it was never meant to illustrate this literally).

Others I like are the Lutoslawski, Shostakovich (especially No. 2), Myaskovsky, Hovhaness, Haydn. I'm not a big fan of the Dvorak, as it's coverage has just about reached saturation point, but I do admit that it is a masterpiece & can be quite moving in many ways. The Prokofiev & Britten are not entirely successful for me, putting the cello into a symphonic context doesn't create the same type of dynamism as the piano (that's just my opinion, anyway). I don't really like the Elgar as it seems to tread old ground and doesn't extend the instrument or the genre in any way (again, my opinion only).

Ones that I would really like to hear are the Vieuxtemps & Ligeti...
 
#19 ·
Lesser known cello concertos

Others I like are the Lutoslawski, Shostakovich (especially No. 2), Myaskovsky, Hovhaness, Haydn.
The opening movement of Shostakovich's first Cello Concerto drives me nuts ... that insistent 4-note motif is just hammered out to death - and beyond. I hear that movement (though not the others) as over zealous note-spinning!

Good to see mention here of rarer concertos, like the Lutoslawski Cello Concerto and especially the very unusual Alan Hovhaness one, which is recorded on Naxos. This latter work is possibly the most sparse modern-day concerto I know of, with the cello part is not showy, nor is the orchestra set up as an antagonist. After my initial surprise, the work's melancholy and understated sincerity slowly revealed itself. Glad I stuck with it.

There are a good many modern cello concertos written by younger composers, and not just by American ones. And within the known repertoire, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Bohuslav Martinu. Are the two examples of his not highly regarded?
 
#13 ·
Yes, probably the only cello concerto of substance between those by Haydn & the late C19th (eg. Saint-Saens, Dvorak). Like his Piano Concerto, quite groundbreaking in the way it makes a lyrical, poetic statement rather than being flashy & showy. I will be seeing the Schumann CC live later in the year with Australian cellist Emma Jane Murphy - can't wait!...
 
#14 ·
The Dvorak is nice, but just not inventive or original enough for me to consider it a great.

I'm glad to see my own concerto is doing nicely lol! That's what I voted for. He (I) gets the balance between soloist and orchestra just right and the 3rd mtv is so soul-searchingly beautiful. Jacqueline du Pre gives the best rendition imo.
 
#15 ·
Strange, the dvorak concerto seems to have a greater firey original inspiration in its writing than Elgar does for me (sorry) but it dosnt bother me either way becuase they are both equal of one another depending on my mood i coyld choose either but none other - i did choose the dvorak as its just a little healthier in expression - elgar i find a little stifling - like the windows need opening after a long period of being cooped away feeling sorry for ones self - dvorak is more a breath of fresh air
 
#22 ·
...tied for first place is Schnittke's Cello Concerto No. 1. I haven't managed to get hold of his No. 2 yet.
I agree Schnittke's No. 1 is an excellent work (I also haven't heard the 2nd). Schnittke's cello music sometimes sounds very lonely & melancholic, but at the end of the work, he shows us a whole new world, what I feel is a breathtaking landscape. It's a pretty exhilirating conclusion.
 
#23 ·
Yes I've got two of them (arranged by Malipiero - probably not ok by purist's standards) coupled with the two Haydn. I'm willing to listen to any Vivaldi, as long as it's not the dreaded Four Seasons(maybe I'd hear that once in a blue moon, I certainly don't own it)...
 
#24 ·
In regard to MARTINUS two cello concerti - very worth a listen but definately not first class martinu - but cello concertino much more compelling and worth a listen - slightly more angular and colourful

as much as id id like to say they arent a patch on my fave 20th century one -Shostakovich 2nd
 
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#25 ·
This was tough for me. Both the Dvorak and the Elgar concerti are among my most favored pieces, and I would not be without either. I have been on somewhat of a quest to find my favorite recording of the Elgar concerto. To date, I have acquired:
Harrison/Elgar (EMI)
Maisky/Sinopoli (Penguin Classics)
du Pre/Barbirolli (EMI)
Clein/Handley
Ma/Previn
Kliegel/Halasz

du Pre's is a wonderful performance, but lately I have been preferring Maisky.

Dvorak's was the first cello concerto I heard, and instantly fell in love with it. I started with the Rostropovich/Karajan recording, as I am a great fan of Rostropovich. To that I have added:
Kliegel/Halasz
Ma/Maazel
Queyras/Behlolavek

The Queyras recording is a wonderful one.

Ultimately, I had to go with Elgar - it simply moves me more than does the Dvorak concerto, though only slightly more. It is definitely a more melancholy piece than Dvorak's, so which I choose to listen to depends greatly on my mood.
 
#26 ·
Dvorak's was the first cello concerto I heard, and instantly fell in love with it. I started with the Rostropovich/Karajan recording, as I am a great fan of Rostropovich. To that I have added:
Kliegel/Halasz
Ma/Maazel
Queyras/Behlolavek
If you like Rostropovich then I recommend his recording on EMI with Giulini which is more colourful then the one with Karajan.
 
#30 ·
Lalo, of those mentioned. I have avoided this genre ever since I almost yawned my jaw off at a live performance of Dvorak's cello concerto many years ago, but I really liked Lalo.

My favorite, though, is actually a cello concertino, by Dutch composer Hendrik Andriessen.
 
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