Cello concerto
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A cello concerto (sometimes called a violoncello concerto) is a concerto for solo cello with orchestra or, very occasionally, smaller groups of instruments.
These pieces have been written since the Baroque era if not earlier. However, unlike the violin, the cello had to face harsh competition from the older, well-established viola da gamba. As a result, few important cello concertos were written before the 19th century - with the notable exceptions of those by Vivaldi, C.P.E. Bach, Haydn and Boccherini. Its full recognition as a solo instrument came during the Romantic era (Schumann, Saint-Saëns, Dvorák). From then on, cello concertos have become more and more frequent. Most post-World War II composers have written at least one, along with the more usual piano and violin concertos.
One special consideration composers must take with the cello (as well as all instruments with a low range) is with the issue of projection. Unlike instruments like the violin, whose high range projects fairly easily above the orchestra, the cello's lower notes can be easily lost when the cello is not playing a solo or near solo. Because of this, composers have had to deliberately pare down the orchestral component of cello concertos while the cello is playing in the lower registers.
[edit] Selected list of Cello Concertos
Cello concertos near the center of the "repertoire". The original list of cello concertos has been moved to List of compositions for cello and orchestra.
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[edit] Selected list of other concertante works
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Triple Concerto in C major
- Ernest Bloch
- Schelomo Rhapsodie Hebraïque for violoncelle et grand orchestre
- Johannes Brahms
- Double Concerto in A minor for Violin and Cello Op. 102
- Benjamin Britten
- Cello Symphony (1963)
- Max Bruch
- Antonín Dvořák
- Rondo in G minor opus 94, 1893 [2]
- Silent Woods opus 68, number 5
- Richard Strauss
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
