Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor Rob Barnett Editor in Chief
John Quinn Contributing Editor Ralph Moore Webmaster
David Barker Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf MusicWeb Founder Len Mullenger
This is a selective chronological list of relatively major non-concerto works by composers who did not write a cello concerto. All can be heard, either through a commercial recording or on the internet. For composers who also wrote one or more cello concertos I have mentioned such works in the composer’s entry in the alphabetical listing and they are not included here.
François Couperin (1668-1733) was a French composer who wrote 5 pieces en concert which were arranged for cello and strings by Paul Bazelaire (1886-1958), a French cellist. They have been recorded several times, for example by Pierre Fournier on Decca Eloquence, János Starker on Delos, Elemer Lavotha on BIS and Lynn Harrell for Azica.
Giovanni Battista Costanzi (1704-1778) was an Italian cellist who wrote a series of sinfonias for cello and basso continuo. Five have been recorded by Giovanni Sollima for Glossa. Constanzi may have been the composer of Haydn's disputed fourth cello concerto.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) did not leave a complete cello concerto but it appears that he started one in F K206a and that 36 bars are in existence. At least two of his concertos for other instruments have been arranged for cello and orchestra. The horn concerto K447 was arranged by Sándor Fischer and performed by János Starker who can be heard playing it on YouTube. The flute concerto K314 was arranged by George Szell and has been recorded by Sol Gabetta for RCA.
Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) wrote a Potpourri for cello and orchestra in G minor (op.95) that has been recorded by Michael Saxson for The Classical Orchestra.
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) wrote an Arpeggione Sonata in 1824 which is now normally played on the cello. This was arranged by Gaspar Cassadó for cello and orchestra, and he recorded it under Harty in 1929 (now on Pristine).
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899) wrote two Romances for cello and orchestra that have been recorded by Ramon Jaffé for Oehms.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) wrote his Mozart-inspired Variations on a Rococo theme for cello and orchestra in 1876. He was assisted by Wilhelm Fitzenhagen who gave the premiere. Many recordings have been made, including by Mstislav Rostropovich (several labels), Sol Gabetta for BMG, Jan Vogler for Sony (whose disc also includes his own arrangement of the Sérénade mélancholique for cello and orchestra), Gautier Capuçon for Virgin and Nina Kotova for Delos. There is also Pezzo capriccioso for cello and orchestra which has been recorded many times and is included on the Gabetta and Kotova recordings linked above. Tchaikovsky also started work on a cello concerto, sketches of which were found after his death. Yuriy Leonovich, a Ukrainian cellist has completed the work but it does not appear to have been recorded yet.
Asger Hamerik (1843-1923) was a Danish composer who wrote a Concert romance for cello and orchestra in 1879 that has been recorded by Henrik Steensgard for Danacord.
Max Bruch (1838-1920) was a German composer who wrote Kol Nidrei in 1880. Lasting about 10 minutes, this is one of the of the most frequently recorded pieces for cello and orchestra. Pablo Casals recorded it in 1936; modern versions reviewed on MusicWeb International include those by Natalie Clein and Alisa Weilerstein. Bruch also wrote the slighter Canzone for cello and orchestra in 1891 and both works can be heard on a Farao disc performed by David Pia.
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was a French composer who wrote an Élégie for cello and piano in 1880 and later orchestrated it. Recordings of the orchestral version include those by Ha Na Chang on Warner and Eric Picard for Erato. A recent version by Sheku Kanneh-Mason on Decca uses an arrangement by Simon Parkin in which he is accompanied by nine cellos.
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) wrote a cello sonata in 1883 that was orchestrated into a concerto by Joseph Horovitz and Benjamin Wallfisch. This has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Black Box (later on ASV).
Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897) was a French composer who wrote Variations Symphoniques for cello and orchestra in 1893 which has been recorded by Paul Tortelier for EMI.
Richard Strauss (1864-1949) wrote his Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character Don Quixote for cello and orchestra in 1897. There is also a significant solo viola part. There have been many recordings made and a list of those reviewed on MusicWeb International can be found here. The cellists include Paul Tortelier on Regis, Antonio Janigro on Sony, Tibor de Machula on DG Eloquence, Erling Blöndal Bengtsson for Danacord, Steven Isserlis for RCA and Louisa Tuck for LAWO classics. Strauss also wrote a Romance for cello and orchestra in 1883 that has been often recorded. It has been paired with Don Quixote on disc by Thomas Grossenbacher for Arte Nova.
Georges Enescu (1881-1955) was a Romanian composer who wrote a sinfonia concertante for cello and orchestra in 1901. This has been recorded by Franco Maggio-Ormezowski for Warner, Alban Gerhardt for Hyperion and Truls Mřrk for Ondine.
Ernö Dohnányi (1877-1960) was a Hungarian composer who wrote a Konzertstück for cello and orchestra in 1904. This has been recorded several times including by Raphael Wallfisch for Chandos, Alban Gerhardt for Hyperion and David Pia for Farao.
Granville Bantock (1868-1946) was a British composer who wrote a Sapphic Poem for cello and orchestra in 1909 that has been recorded by Julian Lloyd Webber for Hyperion. He also wrote three other works for cello and orchestra: Elegiac Poem (1899), Celtic Poem (1916) and Dramatic Poem (1941). These do not appear to have been recorded in their orchestral form but the version of Elegiac Poem for cello and piano has been recorded by Andrew Fuller for Dutton. This work can be heard in the orchestral version on the Internet Archive played by “Holmes” (presumably Edward Holmes).
Bernard van Dieren (1887-1936) was a Dutch composer who lived most of his life in London. Around 1910 he wrote an Elegy for cello and orchestra that has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Lyrita.
Eugčne Ysa˙e (1858-1931) was a Belgian violinist and composer who wrote two pieces for cello and orchestra around 1910 - Méditation and Serenade. They have both been recorded by Thibault Lavrenov for Musique en Wallonie and Alban Gerhardt for Hyperion.
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) was a Swiss-born American composer who wrote Schelomo, a Hebrew rhapsody for cello and orchestra in 1916. Notable recordings reviewed on MusicWeb International include those by Zara Nelsova with the composer and also under Maurice Abravanel, Natalie Clein and Raphael Wallfisch. The last two of these discs both includes Voice in the Wilderness for cello and orchestra which dates from 1936. Bloch also wrote a symphony for cello and orchestra in 1954 that has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for cpo.
André Caplet (1878-1925) was a French composer who wrote Épiphanie for cello and orchestra in 1922. This has been recorded by Xavier Phillips for EMI and Mark Coppey for Aeon.
Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977) was a Russian composer who wrote a Georgian Rhapsody for cello and orchestra in 1922 that has been recorded by Reiner Hochmuth for Thorofon and Alexander Rudin for Olympia. His Mystčre for cello and chamber orchestra from 1925 is on that Olympia disc and has also been recorded by Hai Zheng for Amatius.
York Bowen (1884-1961) was a British composer who wrote a Rhapsody for cello and orchestra in about 1924 for Beatrice Harrison. This is a substantial work lasting 25 minutes that has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Dutton Epoch.
Paul Juon (1872-1940) was a Swiss composer who wrote Mysterien, a symphonic poem for cello and orchestra in 1928. This has been recorded by Pi-Chin Chien for Musique Suisses.
Joseph-Guy Ropartz (1864-1955) was a French composer and conductor who wrote a Rhapsody for cello and orchestra in 1928 that has been recorded by Henri Demarquette for Timpani.
Jean Cras (1879-1932) was a French composer from Brittany who wrote a Légende for cello and orchestra in 1929. This has been recorded by Henri Demarquette for Timpani.
Uuno Klami (1900-1961) was a Finnish composer who wrote Cheremissian Fantasy for cello and orchestra in 1931 - this has been recorded by Arto Noras for Finlandia and Samuli Peltonen for Ondine. He also wrote Tema con 7 variazioni e coda for cello and orchestra in 1954. This has been recorded by Jan-Erik Gustafsson for BIS.
George Dyson (1883-1964) was a British composer who wrote Prelude, Fantasy and Chaconne for cello and orchestra in 1936. This has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Sanctuary.
Leopold van der Pals (1884-1966) was a Danish/Dutch composer whose saxophone concertino of 1938 has been arranged for cello and orchestra and recorded by his descendent Tobias van der Pals on CPO.
Haydn Wood (1882-1959) was a British composer who wrote Philharmonic Variations for cello and orchestra in 1939. This has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Sanctuary.
Geoffrey Bush (1920-1988) was a British composer who wrote a sinfonietta concertante for cello and small orchestra in 1943 that has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Lyrita.
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) left fragments of an unfinished cello concerto intended for Pablo Casals in around 1943. These were arranged by David Matthews in 2009 into Dark Pastoral for cello and orchestra which has been recorded by Guy Johnston for Dutton.
Gösta Nystroem (1890-1966) was a Swedish composer who wrote a sinfonia concertante for cello and orchestra in 1944. This has been recorded by Niels Ullner for BIS.
Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was a Hungarian composer whose viola concerto was incomplete at the the time of his death. It has been arranged by Tibot Serly for cello. This was first recorded by János Starker for RCA, and since by Yo-Yo Ma on Sony and Raphael Wallfisch on Nimbus.
Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988) was an Italian composer who wrote Ballata for cello and orchestra in 1945 and this has been recorded by Francesco Dillon for Stradivarius. Scelsi appears in this Wikipedia list as a composer of a cello concerto. However, it does not appear in this detailed list of his works and I can find no evidence on the internet of publication, performance or recording of such a work.
Florent Schmitt (1870-1958) was a French composer who wrote Introďt, Récit et Congé for cello and orchestra in 1948. This has been recorded by Henri Demarquette for Timpani.
Henri-Gustave Casadesus (1879-1947) was a French violist who wrote a viola concerto in the style of J.C. Bach which was published in 1947. This has been recorded on the cello by Valentin Radutiu for Hänssler.
Edmund Rubbra (1901-1986) was a British composer who wrote a Soliloquy for cello and orchestra in 1947 that has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Sanctuary.
Alan Bush (1900-1995) was a British composer who wrote a Concert suite for cello and orchestra in 1952 that was first performed in that year by Vera Denes in Budapest. This work lasts around 35 minutes consists of an introduction and four movements: Divisions on a Ground, Ballet, Poem and Dance. Raphael Wallfisch has recorded it for Dutton Epoch.
Hans Werner Henze (1926-2012) was a German composer who in 1953 wrote Ode an den Westwind for cello and orchestra based on a poem by Percy Shelley. This has been recorded by Siegfried Palm for DG and Gustav Rivinius for Arte Nova. In 1985 he wrote Englische Liebeslieder for cello and orchestra and this has been recorded by Anssi Karttunen for Wergo.
Mátyás Seiber (1905-1960) was a Hungarian composer who wrote Tre pezzi for cello and orchestra in 1956. This has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Nimbus.
Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996) was a Japanese composer who wrote Scene for cello and string orchestra in 1958 and Orion and Pleiades for cello and orchestra in 1984. They have both been recorded for Shogakukan by Ludovit Kanta and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi respectively. The later work has also been recorded by Paul Watkins for BIS.
Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-1975) was an Italian composer who wrote Dialoghi for cello and orchestra 1960 and dedicated it to Gaspar Cassadó. It has been recorded by Paul Watkins for Chandos and Jean-Guihen Queyras for Stradivarius.
Yuri Levitin (1912-1993) was a Russian composer whose concertino for cello and orchestra from 1961 is a substantial twenty minute work. This has been recorded by Mark Dobrinsky for Talent who can be heard on YouTube along the with score to follow. Levitin also wrote a suite for cello and orchestra in 1966 that was recorded by Mstislav Rostropovich for Doremi the following year during his Carnegie Hall marathon.
William Schuman (1910-1992) was an American composer who wrote a Fantasy for cello and orchestra called A Song of Orpheus in 1962. This has been recorded by Yehuda Hanani for Naxos.
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) wrote his four movement cello symphony in 1963 for Mstislav Rostropovich whose premiere in Moscow was recorded by EMI. There are many other recordings, including those by Raphael Wallfisch for Chandos, Johannes Moser for Hänssler and Alban Gerhardt for Hyperion.
Alberto Soriano (1915-1981) was an Argentine composer who wrote cello concertino in 1963 for Mstislav Rostropovich who can be heard playing it on YouTube. The Sphinx Catalogue of Latin-American cello works lists a Concierto from 1964 but no concertino, and therefore it seems likely that this is the same work.
Walter Piston (1894-1976) was an American composer who wrote his Variations for cello and orchestra in 1966. These were recorded by by Mstislav Rostropovich for Doremi the following year during his Carnegie Hall marathon.
Alexander Goehr (b.1932) is a German-born British composer wrote a Romanza for cello and orchestra in 1968. This has been recorded by Moray Welsh for NMC.
Oskar Morawetz (1917-2007) was a Canadian composer who wrote a Memorial to Martin Luther King for cello and orchestra in 1968. This has been recorded on LP by Zara Nelsova for RCI and on CD by Shauna Rolston for CBC.
Morton Feldman (1926-1987) was an American composer who wrote a twenty minute piece entitled Cello and orchestra in 1972 for Siegfried Palm who has recorded it for cpo. It has also been recorded by Robert Cohen for Argo.
Valentin Silvestrov (b.1937) is a Ukrainian composer who wrote a symphony for cello and chamber orchestra called Meditation in 1972. This has been recorded by Valentin Potapov for Wergo and by Alexander Rudin for Olympia - the former can be heard on You Tube.
Salvatore Sciarrino (b.1947) is an Italian composer who wrote Variazioni for cello and orchestra in 1974. This has been recorded by Francesco Dillon for Kairos. Sui poemi concentrici I from 1987 is also for cello and orchestra and has been recorded by Lucas Fels for Kairos.
Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) was an Irish-English composer who wrote Epyllion for cello and strings in 1975. This has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Nimbus.
Gagik Hovunts (or Ovunts) (1930-2019) was an Armenian composer who wrote Concert Inventions for cello and orchestra called The Harmony of Sound in 1976. This can be heard via the Classical Archives played by V. Saradgyan.
Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) was an Italian-American composer who wrote a Fantasia for cello and orchestra in 1976 that has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Chandos.
Luciano Berio (1925-2003) was an Italian composer who wrote Ritorno degli snovidenia (The Return of Dreams) for cello and thirty instruments in 1977. This has been recorded by Erling Blöndal Bengtsson for Danacord and Pierre Strauch for Sony.
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) arranged Three Meditations for cello and orchestra from Mass in 1977 for Mstislav Rostropovich who recorded them for DG (and Profil). They have also been recorded by Anthony Ross for Reference Recordings and Yo-Yo Ma for C major on DVD. They can also be seen and heard on YouTube played by Giovanni Sollima.
Steven Stucky (1949-2016) was an American composer who wrote Voyages for cello and wind ensemble in 1984. This has been recorded by Gary Hardie for Albany.
Howard Blake (b.1938) is an English composer best known for writing the musical accompaniment to The Snowman. In 1985 he orchestrated his 1973 piece for cello and piano Diversions. This has been recorded by Robert Cohen for Sony.
Nicholas Maw (1935-2009) was a British composer who wrote Sonata Notturna for cello and strings in 1985. This has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Nimbus.
Hans Abrahamsen (b.1952) is a Danish composer who wrote Lied in Fall for cello and 13 instruments in 1987. This has been recorded by Christopher van Kampen for Dacapo.
John Tavener (1944-2013) was an English composer who wrote The Protecting Veil for cello and string orchestra 1987. This has been recorded several times, notably by Steven Isserlis for Virgin, France Springuel for Telarc and Matthew Barley for Signum.
Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) was a Greek-French composer who wrote Epicycles for cello and 12 instruments in 1989. This has been recorded by Arne Deforce for Aeon.
Michael Jarrell (b.1958) is a Swiss composer who wrote Assonance V (chaque jour n'est qu'une tręve) for cello and ensemble in 1990. This has been recorded by Michael Stirling for Musique Suisses. He also wrote Emergences - Nachlese VI for cello and orchestra in 2011 - this does not seem to have been recorded yet.
Leon Kirchner (1919-2009) was an American composer who wrote a piece called Music for cello and orchestra in 1992 for Yo-Yo Ma who has recorded it for Sony.
Claude Ledoux (b.1960) is a Belgian composer who wrote Torrent for cello and an ensemble of ten instruments in 1995. This has been recorded by Jean-Paul Dessy for Cypres.
Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen (1932-2016) was a Danish composer who wrote For cello and orchestra in 1996. This has been recorded by Morten Zeuthen for Dacapo and can be heard on You Tube.
Rolf Wallin (b.1957) is a Norwegian composer and trumpeter who wrote Ground for cello and string orchestra in 1996. This has been recorded by Řystein Birkeland for Aurora.
Kelly-Marie Murphy (b.1964) is a Canadian composer who wrote This is the colour of my dreams for cello and orchestra in 1997. This has been recorded by Shauna Rolston for CBC.
Charles Fussell (b.1938) is an American composer who wrote the Variations for cello and string orchestra Right River in 2000. This has been recorded by Emmanuel Feldman for Albany.
Peter Lieberson (1946-2011) was an American composer who wrote The Six Realms for amplified cello and orchestra in 2000. This has been recorded by Michaela Fukacova for Bridge and Anssi Karttunen for Ondine.
Martín Matalon (b.1958) is an Argentinian composer who wrote Trame III for cello and orchestra in 2000. This has been recorded by Marc Coppey for Accord.
Hans Zender (1936-2019) was a German composer and conductor who wrote Bardo for cello and orchestra in 2000. This has been recorded by Heinrich Schiff for Hanssler.
Christos Hatzis (b.1953) is a Greek-Canadian composer who wrote Confessional for cello and orchestra in 2001. This has been recorded by Shauna Rolston for CBC.
Chan Ka Nin (b.1949) is a Canadian composer who wrote Soulmate for cello and orchestra in 2001. This has been recorded by Shauna Rolston for CBC.
Betsy Jolas (b.1926) is a Franco-American composer who wrote Wanderlied for cello and ensemble in 2003 but it does not seem to have been recorded. Her Side Roads for cello and string orchestra from 2017 has been recorded by Anssi Karttunen for 21 Music.
John Metcalf (b.1946) is a Welsh composer who wrote a cello symphony in 2004 that has been recorded by Raphael Wallfisch for Nimbus.
Roberto Molinelli (b.1963) is an Italian composer who wrote Twin Legends for cello and string orchestra in 2004. The work has been recorded by Profil and issued on a disc called Focus Cello. Four cellists are credited on this disc but, having seen the front and back covers and been through the booklet, it does not seem to be specified which of them plays which pieces! A live performance by Enrico Dindo can be seen and heard on YouTube.
Stephen Hough (b.1961) is a British/Australian composer, best known as a pianist, who wrote an Elegy for cello and orchestra in 2007 called The Loneliest Wilderness. This has been recorded by the dedicatee Steven Isserlis for BIS. This work has sometimes been described as a concerto but not on the front of the score.
Fred Lerdahl (b.1943) is an American composer who wrote Arches for cello and large chamber ensemble in 2010. This has been recorded by Toke Mřldrup for Bridge.
Thomas Adčs (b.1971) is a British composer who arranged Lieux retrouvés for cello and small orchestra in 2016. Originally for cello and piano and recorded in that format by Steven Isserlis for Hyperion, the orchestral version has been performed at the Proms but does not appear to have been recorded yet.
Fabien Waksman (b.1980) is a French composer who wrote Le ręve de Tzinacán for cello and string orchestra in 2018. This can be heard on YouTube played by Anastasia Kobekina.
