Cello Concerto (Sullivan)

The Cello Concerto in D major is Arthur Sullivan's only concerto and was one of his earliest large-scale works. It was written for the Italian cellist Alfredo Piatti and premiered on 24 November 1866 at the Crystal Palace, London, with August Manns conducting. After this, it was performed only a few times. The score was not published, and the manuscript was destroyed in a fire in the 1960s, but the full score was reconstructed by the conductors Sir Charles Mackerras and David Mackie in the 1980s. Their version was premiered and published in 1986.

The work is rarely heard in the concert hall, but it has been recorded by EMI Classics and others. There are three movements: Allegro moderato; Andante espressivo; and Finale: molto vivace.