Description
Joseph Haydn's concertos for violoncello and orchestra are renowned for their lightness and elegance. The Concerto in C major, Hob. VIIb:1, was most likely composed between 1762 and 1765, when Haydn was already employed as Kapellmeister, or music director, to Prince Esterházy. The concerto remained obscure for a long time, known only through an entry in Haydn's handwritten catalogue of works, with the music itself unperformed. It was not until 1961 that a copy of the work was rediscovered, after which it has successfully held its own against the more famous Concerto in D major, Hob. VII:2. For this edition of the C major concerto with piano accompaniment, the expertise of Haydn specialist Sonja Gerlach has been enlisted. Gerlach's detailed preface examines the execution of the ornaments and cadenzas, enriching the Urtext edition.
