Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Hans Herbert Jöris. Horst Beckedorf as the cellist.
I -Mässig bewegt - Ruhiger - Erstes zeitmaass - Sehr langsam - Mässig bewegt - Nach und nach schneller - Lebhaft - Ruhiger - Lebhaft - Sehr belebt - Immer lebhafter - Schwer (mässig bewegt) - Langsam - Sehr langsam: 0:00
Klughardt's Cello concerto was composed in 1892 at the latest, as that was the year it was published by E.W. Fritzsch in Leipzig. It was premiered during a Festival Concert in Baden-Baden on December 3 of 1894, performed by the Baden-Baden City Orchestra conducted by Paul Hein, with Julius Klengel as the cello soloist. Klengel was, with Hugo Becker, the leading cellist in Germany and one of the most significant string players of the day and it was a signal honour for the composer.
Klengel went on to perform the piece multiple times, before other cellists like Hartmann and Brueckner also took the concerto among others. The piece was quite successful at the time. Gerlach published his biography of Klughardt in 1902 and wrote "…Now the Violin Concerto [op. 68] and the Cello Concerto are being played with great enthusiasm in the conservatories of South Germany. Consequently both works will most likely be heard even more often in the concert halls. The Cello Concerto is more melodious and hence it is more popular. Nevertheless, I would rank the Violin Concerto artistically higher."
The concerto is written in a single movement subdivided in three parts. It begins with a dramatic orchestral introduction, followed by the soloist presenting a highly expressive and romantic first theme in A minor. After ascending scales answered by orchestral tuttis, the cello introduces a deeply lyrical and cantabile second theme in C major. A cadenza-like passage for the soloist serve to showcase virtuosity before leading to the next part. It is a whole adagio on its own, with the cellist introducing a lyrical theme in D major over violas, cellos and basses. Sudden modulations to B minor add more drama and turbulence to the music, before returning to D major in a lovingly scored passage.
The third part starts with an A minor orchestral introduction, before the soloist introduces a rhythmic theme in A major, accompanied by cello, bassoon until passing onto full orchestra in a determined tutti. Follows a brief transition with a canonic duo between the soloist and clarinet, soon joined by the flute. Then the oboe introduces a lyrical and contrasting theme in C major, soon taken and unfolded with virtuosity by the cellist. The music culminates in an orchestral B major climax, moving to D major and then A minor. The theme is then recapitulated in a varied way in the original key of A major, before a series of exchanges between soloist and orchestra leads to a dramatic A minor climax. Follows a recapitulation of the first theme of the first part (bringing some cyclical unity to the work) and the A major one in a slower tempo, which brings the concerto to a calm and lyrical end in that key.
Picture: "Olive Grove at Lake Garda" (1892) by the German painter Hans Thoma.
Musical analysis written by myself. Source: tinyurl.com/2d7abmpb
To check the score: tinyurl.com/28w2uc5a
NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Hans Herbert Jöris. Horst Beckedorf as the cellist.
I -Mässig bewegt - Ruhiger - Erstes zeitmaass - Sehr langsam - Mässig bewegt - Nach und nach schneller - Lebhaft - Ruhiger - Lebhaft - Sehr belebt - Immer lebhafter - Schwer (mässig bewegt) - Langsam - Sehr langsam: 0:00
Klughardt's Cello concerto was composed in 1892 at the latest, as that was the year it was published by E.W. Fritzsch in Leipzig. It was premiered during a Festival Concert in Baden-Baden on December 3 of 1894, performed by the Baden-Baden City Orchestra conducted by Paul Hein, with Julius Klengel as the cello soloist. Klengel was, with Hugo Becker, the leading cellist in Germany and one of the most significant string players of the day and it was a signal honour for the composer.
Klengel went on to perform the piece multiple times, before other cellists like Hartmann and Brueckner also took the concerto among others. The piece was quite successful at the time. Gerlach published his biography of Klughardt in 1902 and wrote "…Now the Violin Concerto [op. 68] and the Cello Concerto are being played with great enthusiasm in the conservatories of South Germany. Consequently both works will most likely be heard even more often in the concert halls. The Cello Concerto is more melodious and hence it is more popular. Nevertheless, I would rank the Violin Concerto artistically higher."
The concerto is written in a single movement subdivided in three parts. It begins with a dramatic orchestral introduction, followed by the soloist presenting a highly expressive and romantic first theme in A minor. After ascending scales answered by orchestral tuttis, the cello introduces a deeply lyrical and cantabile second theme in C major. A cadenza-like passage for the soloist serve to showcase virtuosity before leading to the next part. It is a whole adagio on its own, with the cellist introducing a lyrical theme in D major over violas, cellos and basses. Sudden modulations to B minor add more drama and turbulence to the music, before returning to D major in a lovingly scored passage.
The third part starts with an A minor orchestral introduction, before the soloist introduces a rhythmic theme in A major, accompanied by cello, bassoon until passing onto full orchestra in a determined tutti. Follows a brief transition with a canonic duo between the soloist and clarinet, soon joined by the flute. Then the oboe introduces a lyrical and contrasting theme in C major, soon taken and unfolded with virtuosity by the cellist. The music culminates in an orchestral B major climax, moving to D major and then A minor. The theme is then recapitulated in a varied way in the original key of A major, before a series of exchanges between soloist and orchestra leads to a dramatic A minor climax. Follows a recapitulation of the first theme of the first part (bringing some cyclical unity to the work) and the A major one in a slower tempo, which brings the concerto to a calm and lyrical end in that key.
Picture: "Olive Grove at Lake Garda" (1892) by the German painter Hans Thoma.
Musical analysis written by myself. Source: tinyurl.com/2d7abmpb
To check the score: tinyurl.com/28w2uc5a
