New suggestion:

Concerto for Two Violoncelli and Orchestra

by Kalevi Aho

* Title

Additional title

Description

Kalevi Aho has written for the cello in many chamber music works (quintets and quartets) as well as solo pieces including Prelude, Toccata and Postlude, written in 1974, a very virtuoso work for cello and piano. In 1983-84 he composed his Cello Concerto, having first bought a cello and studied it!The Double Cello Concerto was a commission of the BBC for the Manchester Cello Festival 2004. The wish of the festival was that piece is not long, and this had an decisive influence on the nature of the concerto. Firstly the musical language of the concerto and the using of the solo instruments had to be very compact and concentrated. The cello is used in the concerto mostly as a singing melody instrument, which has also its great virtuosic possibilities. Secondly the piece could not be rhytmically too complex, so that the orhcestra, which has to play in the opening concert a long and difficult programme, could learn the premiere work in a short time.The Double Cello Concerto was written during the summer of 2003. The piece comprises one long movement, in which there are some different (but not too many) contrasting musical characters. The tempo is mostly very fast and the solo writing virtuosic. The piece is very virtuosic for the orchestra, too. There are also two cantabile, slow sections and a cadenza, where both soloists play with glowing intensity. Both solo parts are all the time contrapunctally intertwined and equally difficult.

Year of composing

Arranger

Duration

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Movements

Availability

Abbreviation	Instrument
Woodwind
acl	alto clarinet
afl	alto flute
arec	alto recorder
asax	alto saxophone
barsax	baritone saxophone
barhn	baritone horn
bcl	bass clarinet
bfl	bass flute
bob	bass oboe
bsax	bass saxophone
bsn	bassoon
cbsn	contrabassoon
cl	clarinet
ehn	English horn
fl	flute
hn	French horn
ob	oboe
pic	piccolo
rec	recorder
sax	saxophone
srec	soprano recorder
ssax	soprano saxophone
trec	tenor recorder
tsax	tenor saxophone
Brass
ahn	alto horn
atrb	altotrombone
barhn	baritone horn
btrb	bass trombone
cornet	cornet
euph	euphonium
fhn	flugelhorn
hn	French horn
tba	tuuba
thn	tenor horn
trb	trombone
trp	trumpet
Percussion
dr	drums
glock	glockenspiel
mar	marimba
perc	percussion
timp	timpani
vibr	vibraphone
xyl	xylophone
Strings
db	double bass
gamba	viola da gamba
str	strings
vla	viola
vlc	cello
vln	violin
Other
acc	accordion
cel	celesta
cemb	harpsichord
chords	chords
elbas	electric bass
elg	electric guitar
elorg	electric organ
elpno	electric piano
guit	guitar
harm	harmonium
hca	harmonica
hp	harp
instr	instrument
kantele	kantele
keyb	keyboard
live electr	live electronics
mand	mandolin
mel	melody
org	organ
pno	piano
synth	synthesizer
tape	tape
Vocal
alto	alto
baryt	baritone
basso	bass voice
ch	choir
chc	childrens choir
chf	female choir
chm	male choir
chx	mixed choir
cten	countertenor
mezzo	mezzo-soprano
sopr	soprano
speaker	speaker
ten	tenor
voc	vocal

Symphony orchestra
2222 4331 11 1, str = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, one other percussionist, harp and strings
Wind band
2252 3 423 21212 3 = 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 5 clarinets, 2 bassoons - 3 saxophones - 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones - 2 cornets, alto horn, 2 tenor horns, baritone horn, 2 tubas - 3 percussionists
Big band
221 4 4, pno, guit, db, dr = 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, baritone saxophone, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, double bass, drums
Additional codes
+	fl+pic = flutist doubles on piccolo
/	pno/org = can be played on either piano or organ
lib	ad libitum
obl	obligato
str	str: 65432 = specified number of string players
str min	str min: 65432 = at least 65432
str max	str max: 65432 = not more than 65432
solo	vln solo = violin is the solo instrument in a work not obviously for solo violin