The good memory of Haydn

For years, only one cello concerto by Haydn was known, in D major, Haydn was known to have previously written a cello concerto in C major, but the concerto was completely lost. The information came from a draft catalog that Haydn himself began writing, under the name “List of all the compositions which I now remember to have composed from the age of eighteen to the age of seventy-three”.

In 1961, however, a copy of the concerto was discovered in very good condition hidden in the National Museum in Prague. The find certified that Haydn’s memory was intact when writing his memoirs.

The concerto is an example of Haydn’s best art, with cheerful, solid and assured music, written with a wonderful sense to offer all the musical details and nuances that the cello has to offer and which demands a soloist with great virtuosity and expressiveness.