| Cello Concerto | |
|---|---|
| No. 1 | |
| by Heitor Villa-Lobos | |
 Villa-Lobos, c. 1922 | |
| Full title | Grande Concerto para Violoncello |
| Opus | 50 |
| Composed | 1913 |
| Performed | 10 May 1919 |
| Duration | 20 minutes |
| Movements | 3 |
The Cello Concerto No. 1 (Grande Concerto para Violoncello), [1] Op. 50, was composed by Heitor Villa-Lobos in 1913 as his first large-scale work, showing the influence of Tchaikovsky.
Villa-Lobos was trained as a cellist, beginning at age 6 when his father, an amateur cellist, gave him first lessons on a viola converted to a small cello. He became a professional cellist. [2]
He composed his first cello concerto in 1913, as he dated the manuscript. It was his first large scale orchestral composition, [2] [3] written when he had not yet developed a personal style. [3]
The cello concerto was premiered at the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro on 10 May 1919 with soloist Newton Pádua and the composer conducting. [1]
The concerto is in three movements: [1]
It is scored for an orchestra consisting of piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, harp and strings.
The music has been described as "full of youthful energy". [3] The music shows the influence of Tchaikovsky. [4] A performance lasts about twenty minutes. [4]
The cello concerto was recorded, together with the composer's second cello concerto, in 1989 by soloist Ulrich Schmid with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie conducted by Dominique Roggen. [3] A CD of both cello concertos combined with the composer's Fantasia for cello and orchestra was released in 2023, with soloist Antonio Meneses and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra conducted by Isaac Karabtchevsky. [2]
A concerto is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typical three-movement structure, a slow movement preceded and followed by fast movements, became a standard from the early 18th century.
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known South American composer of all time. A prolific composer, he wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works, totaling over 2,000 works by his death in 1959. His music was influenced by both Brazilian folk music and stylistic elements from the European classical tradition, as exemplified by his Bachianas Brasileiras and his Chôros. His Etudes for classical guitar (1929) were dedicated to Andrés Segovia, while his 5 Preludes (1940) were dedicated to his spouse Arminda Neves d'Almeida, a.k.a. "Mindinha". Both are important works in the classical guitar repertory.
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The Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191, is the last solo concerto by Antonín Dvořák. It was written in 1894 for his friend, the cellist Hanuš Wihan, but was premiered in London on March 19, 1896, by the English cellist Leo Stern.
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The Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, for cello and orchestra was the closest Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello and orchestra. The style was inspired by Mozart, Tchaikovsky's role model, and makes it clear that Tchaikovsky admired the Classical style very much. However, the Theme is not Rococo in origin, but actually an original theme in the Rococo style.
The Cello Concerto, Op. 27, is a concerto for cello and orchestra by Graham Waterhouse, composed in 1990. It was first performed in 1995 in Toluca and Mexico City with the composer as the soloist, and published by Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag in Leipzig in 2000.
Chôros No. 11 is a work for piano and orchestra written in 1928 by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. It is part of a series of fourteen numbered compositions collectively titled Chôros, ranging from solos for guitar and for piano up to works scored for soloist or chorus with orchestra or multiple orchestras. Chôros No. 11 is the longest in the series, a performance lasting over an hour.
Symphony No. 3 is a composition by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written in 1919. A performance lasts about 35 minutes.
Symphony No. 5, A Paz (Peace) is a composition by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written in 1920. The score has been lost.
Symphony No. 11 is a composition by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written in 1955. A performance lasts about twenty-five minutes.
The Piano Concerto No. 4, W505, is a composition for piano and orchestra by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written in 1952. A performance lasts about 27 minutes.
Piano Concerto No. 1, W453, is a composition for piano and orchestra by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos, written in 1945. A performance lasts about 38 minutes.
The Guitar Concerto, W501, is a work for solo guitar and small orchestra written by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos in Rio de Janeiro in 1951. A performance lasts about 18 minutes.
