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Timeline of cello concertos written by composers born before 1780 [All have been recorded unless otherwise indicated in italics] Jacchini (1667-1727) Ten "concerti per camera [...] con violoncello obligato" Nine unrecorded Caldara (c.1670-1736) Cello concerto in D minor Vivaldi (1678-1741) Twenty-seven cello concertos Cervetto (c.1681-1783) Cello concerto in G Unrecorded Porpora (1686-1768) Cello concerto in G major Perroni (1688-1748) Cello concerto in D minor (1712) Boismortier (1689-1755) Cello concerto Op.26 No.6 Chelleri (1690-1757) Cello concerto (1742) Vandini (1690-1778) Cello concerto in D Berteau (1691-1771) Four cello concertos All unrecorded Antoniotto (c.1692-c.1776) Three cellos concertos All unrecorded Tartini (1692-1770) Two cello concertos G.Werner (1693-1766) Cello concerto Unrecorded Reichenauer (c.1694-1730) Two cello concertos One unrecorded Leo (1694-1744) Six cello concertos (c.1737-8) Molter (1696-1765) Cello concerto in C (1730s) Zani (1696-1757) Twelve cello concertos Majo (1697-1771) Cello concerto in F (1726) Platti (1697-1763) Three cello concertos G.B.Sammartini (1698-1775) Cello concerto in C Hasse (1699-1783) Cello concerto in D Caporale (c.1700-1746) Cello concerto (c.1741) (Unrecorded and probably lost) Fiorenza (c.1700/1710-1764) Five cello concertos Sabatino (1705-1796) Cello concerto in G I.Mára (1709-1783) Unknown number of cello concertos One recorded, all others unrecorded Porretti (1709-1783) Twenty-four cello concertos Twenty-three unrecorded Hintereder (before 1710-c.1763/69) Cello concerto Graziani (1710-1787) Two cello concertos Gretsch (1710-1778) Five cello concertos All unrecorded F.Werner (1710-1768) Numerous cello concertos All unrecorded Holzbauer (1711-1783) Cello concerto in A Unrecorded Zach (1713-1773) Cello concerto in E flat Avondano (1714-1782) Cello concerto in G Unrecorded C.P.E.Bach (1714-1788) Three cello concertos (1750-3) Wagenseil (1715-1777) Two cello concertos Monn (1717-1750) Cello concerto in G minor (1746, ed. Schoenberg 1913) Schindelar (c.1717-1764) Three cello concertos Two unrecorded Zellbell the younger (1719-1780) Cello concerto (1741) Canavasso (1720-1775) Cello concerto Unrecorded Grauel (1720-1799) Cello concerto in A Hargrave (1720-1780) Five cello concertos All unrecorded Zyka (c.1720-1791) Several cello concertos All unrecorded Garth (1721-1810) Six cello concertos (pub.1760) C.Abel (1723-1787) Two cello concertos J.Baumgartner (1723-1782) At least four cello concertos All unrecorded Galeotti (1723-c.1790) Eleven, perhaps twelve cello concertos All unrecorded C.E.Graf (1723-1804) Two cello concertos (one from 1777) Cirri (1724-1808) Six cello concertos Mysligowski (c.1725-1774) Three cello concertos from around 1780 All unrecorded Anfossi (1727-1797) Cello concerto in G Unrecorded F.H.Graf (1727-1795) Cello concerto in D (c.1780) J.Hertel (1727-1789) Two cello concertos (1755-9) Woschitka (1728-1796) Two cello concertos (c.1780) Both unrecorded I.Danzi (c.1730-1798) Cello concerto in G Unrecorded Cupis de Renoussard (1732-1808) Cello concerto in D (Two concertos missing and a possible fourth concerto) J.Haydn (1732-1809) Cello concertos: No.1 in C (1760s) No.2 in D (1783) No.3 (lost) No.4 (disputed) Fils aka Filtz (1733-1760) Two cello concertos Both unrecorded Paxton (1734-1787) Cello concerto in G J.C.Bach (1735-1782) Cello Concerto in C Minor (disputed: probably written by H.Casadesus in the 20th century) Westenholtz (1736-1789) Cello concerto Unrecorded Mysliveček (1737-1781) Cello concerto in C M.Haydn (1737-1806) Cello concerto in B flat (c.1800) Schetky (1737-1824) Seven cello concertos (c.1772-1810) All unrecorded L.Hofmann (1738-1793) At least seven cello concertos Three unrecorded Dittersdorf (1739-1799) Cello concerto in D Vanhal (1739-1813) Three cello concertos (1785-7) Cupis de Camargo (le jeune) (1741-after 1794) Two cello concertos Both unrecorded J-P.Duport (1741-1818) Cello concerto in E minor Unrecorded Janson (1742-1803) Cello concerto in D (recorded); Twelve cello concertos Op.6 (1780) and Op.15 (1799) Probably all unrecorded Boccherini (1743-1805) Twelve cello concertos J.Mára (1744-1808) Two cello concertos Both unrecorded Borghi (1745-1806) Two cello concertos Both unrecorded Silva (1745-1803) Cello concerto in D Unrecorded Stamitz (1745-1801) Five (or possibly six) cello concertos One unrecorded Knöferle (1746-1811) Cello concerto in D (c.1790) Unrecorded Fiala (1748-1816) Two cello concertos Hettisch (1748-1793) Several cello concertos All unrecorded Jäger (1748-1826) An unknown number of cello concertos All unrecorded J-L.Duport (1749-1819) Six cello concertos One unrecorded A.Kraft (1749-1820) Cello concerto in C (c.1792) J.Malzat (1749-1787) Cello concerto in D Unrecorded Schlick (1749-1818) Two cello concertos Both unrecorded Karoušek (before 1750-1789) Cello concerto in D Unrecorded Kriegk (1750-1814) Three cello concertos All unrecorded Sperger (1750-1812) Cello concerto in C Unrecorded Tilličre (c.1750-1790) Cello concerto (c.1775) Unrecorded Tricklir (1750-1813) Thirteen cello concertos Nine unrecorded J.Reicha (1752-1795) At least eight cello concertos Four unrecorded Bréval (1753-1823) Seven cello concertos All unrecorded Schindlöker (1753-1827) Cello concerto Unrecorded Hoffmeister (1754-1812) Two cello concertos Both unrecorded Sieber (1754-1801) Cello concerto in A (c.1800) Unrecorded Capuzzi (1755-1818) Cello concerto in C Unrecorded Viotti (1755-1824) Cello concerto in C Willing (1755-1805) Cello concerto (c.1798) Unrecorded Bittoni (1756-1829) Cello concerto Unrecorded Wranitzky (1756-1808) Cello concerto in C I.Malzat (1757-1804) Cello concerto in D Unrecorded Pleyel (1757-1831) Six cello concertos (one lost) Schönebeck (1758-1806) Three cello concertos (1796, 1798 and 1802) All unrecorded Wineberger (1758-1821) Three cello concertos (c.1797) All unrecorded Galeazzi (1758-1819) Cello concerto (1817) Unrecorded Facius (1760-1806) Three cello concertos All unrecorded Neubauer (c.1760-1795) Cello Concerto in B flat (1802) Platone (1760-1827) Cello concerto in B flat Unrecorded Zumsteeg (1760-1802) Ten cello concertos, Nine unrecorded Vranický (1761-1820) Cello concerto in D minor Reinagle (1762-1825) Six cello concertos All unrecorded F.Danzi (1763-1826) Three cello concertos Two unrecorded Ritter (1763-1846) Seven cello concertos All unrecorded Westerhoff (1763-1806) Cello concerto (1800) Unrecorded Brunetti (1765-1834) Cello concerto Ryba (1765-1815) Cello concerto in C (1800) Sozzi (c.1765-c.1818) Cello concerto in C Unrecorded Hauschka (1766-1840) Three cello concertos All unrecorded Powell (1766-c.1842) Fifteen cello concertos All unrecorded Romberg (1767-1841) Ten cello concertos (1795-c.1824) Five unrecorded Müntzberger (1769-1844) Five cello concertos All unrecorded A.Reicha (1770-1836) Cello concerto (1803-1823) Unrecorded Witt (1770-1836) Cello concerto in C Unrecorded Wilms (1772-1847) Two cello concertos (c.1812 and 1821) Both unrecorded J.Arnold (1773-1806) Five cello concertos All unrecorded Hemmerlein (1773-1840) Cello concerto (1801) Unrecorded Hus-Desforges (1773-1838) Four cello concertos (No.4 c.1820) All unrecorded Baudiot (1773-1849) Two cello concertos (1790 and 1791) Both unrecorded Lindley (1776-1855) Four cello concertos All unrecorded Platel (1777-1835) Five cello concertos (c.1810-1825) All unrecorded N.Kraft (1778-1853) Six cello concertos (Nos.1-3 c.1812,1813 & 1819) Three unrecorded Aimon (1779-1866) Cello concerto Unrecorded Full dates unknown: Falugi (18th century) Cello concerto in D Unrecorded Hoeke Two cello concertos, one dating from 1799 Both unrecorded Lanzetti (died c.1800) Five cello concertos, Four unrecorded Maegolin (likely to have been born pre-1780) Cello concerto in B flat Unrecorded Matern (d.1789) At least one cello concerto Unrecorded Penna Cello concerto in E (? c.1758) Unrecorded Priori (18th century) Cello concerto in C Unrecorded Ungherini (18th century) Cello concerto in G Unrecorded Vallotti Cello concerto (c.1790-1810) Unrecorded
This timeline shows that there were 138 composers of 438 cello concertos that can be counted (i.e. excluding those that are uncertain and composers who wrote an unknown number of concertos) born before 1780, of which 173 (39%) have been recorded and 265 are still unrecorded. Broadly it should include most cello concertos written before the end of the 18th century that have survived, and the vast majority of them are likely to have been written within that century. It is striking that, of the composers listed here as known to have been born prior to Joseph Haydn (i.e. 1732), only about 30% wrote concertos that all remain unrecorded whereas around 65% of composers born later wrote only unrecorded concertos. Thus it seems clear that the genre has been well served by the recording industry for concertos written in the early part of the 18th century but less so for those written later in that century.
Only those concertos written by Vivaldi, C.P.E. Bach, Joseph Haydn and Boccherini (and his 9th concerto in particular) have been recorded frequently. Aside from those composers, the series of six concertos each written by Leo and Garth are well worth hearing, as is Monn’s original concerto in G minor. Of the later composers, I find Vanhal’s three and Pleyel’s five concertos to be among the most interesting. In terms of unrecorded music, the composer whose cello concertos I would most like to be able to hear is Bréval.
Recommendations
C.P.E. Bach The Naxos disc of all three concertos played by Tim Hugh is my personal choice from a crowded field.
Boccherini The Naxos series by Tim Hugh and Raphael Wallfisch with the latter’s disc of the last four concertos (including the famous 9th) is an obvious place to start.
Garth The only complete set of the six concertos available is the one by Richard Tunnicliffe on Divine Art and it is excellent.
Joseph Haydn The recent live performances of both concertos by Natalie Clein would be a good choice if you can’t decide between Rostropovich and du Pré (and many, many other fine cellists).
Leo All six concertos are in another bargain box from Brilliant Classics with Julius Berger as soloist - he found the manuscripts in a library in Naples.
Monn His G minor concerto played by Adriano Maria Fazio on period instruments for Brilliant Classics stands out. Jacqueline du Pré’s performance on modern instruments sounds like a different piece!
Pleyel The set of all five by Péter Szabó for Hungaraton is highly recommendable.
Vanhal Not much choice here but Péter Szabó’s Hungaraton disc of his three concertos is fine.
Vivaldi The complete set of 27 concertos made by Francesco Galligioni for Brilliant Classics on period instruments is magnificent and at bargain price too.