Haydn: Violoncello Concerto C major Hob. VIIb:1

Joseph Haydn’s concertos for violoncello and orchestra stand out for their lightness and elegance. The Concerto in C major Hob. VIIb:1 was most likely written between 1762 and 1765, when Haydn was already in service as Kapellmeister, or music director, to Prince Esterházy. The concerto was for a long time known only through an entry by Haydn in his handwritten catalogue of works, and the music itself was unknown. It was not until 1961 that a copy of the work was found, and since then it has successfully held its own against the Concerto in D major Hob. VII:2. The services of Haydn specialist Sonja Gerlach have been obtained for this edition of the concerto with piano accompaniment. She enriches the Urtext edition with a detailed preface that also examines focuses on the execution of the ornaments and the cadenzas.