Concerto for Cello No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 Cover Image

Concerto for Cello No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33: Full Orchestra, Solo Strings with Ensemble, SS

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Concerto for Cello No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 Cover Image
Concerto for Cello No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33: Full Orchestra, Solo Strings with Ensemble, SS

Concerto for Cello No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33: Full Orchestra, Solo Strings with Ensemble, SS

By Camille Saint-Saëns, ed./arr. by Clinton Nieweg/ Nancy Bradburd

Item: 36-S000401
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Description
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) composed his CELLO CONCERTO No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33, for Belgian cellist, instrument maker, and friend Auguste Tolbecque in 1872, at the age of 37. Premiered by Tolbecque, who was closely associated with the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, France's leading concert society, at the Paris Conservatoire on January 19, 1873, this performance was perceived as a mark of Saint-Saëns' growing acceptance by the French musical establishment. Many composers, including Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff, consider this concerto to be the greatest written for cello, with the work solving the issue of balance by limiting the role of the orchestra more often to the background and to punctuating chords. Rather than three seperate movements, the work is composed in three distinct sections with single musical ideas and themes running through the entire work, a decision likely inspired by conversations with Franz Liszt. Despite the tremendously demanding solo part, this remains a favorite of cellists and a regular work in the repertoire. This edition has been edited by Clinton Nieweg and Nancy Bradburd, with the cello solo part edited by William Stokking. Study score.

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Additional Details
Series: Kalmus Study Score Series
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 1-63-361958-3
ISBN13: 978-163-361-9586
UPC: 612735575311
SKU: 36-S000401
Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Cello

More about this title

About the Composer: Camille Saint-Saëns

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was a French composer, organist, and pianist whose technical mastery and structural clarity shaped French musical life across six decades. Equally at home writing symphonies, concertos, operas, and chamber music, Saint-Saëns commanded orchestration with surgical precision and balanced innovation with formal tradition in ways that influenced composers from Fauré to Debussy.

Why we love this

This concerto solved a fundamental problem in cello writing: how to let the soloist sing without drowning in orchestral sound. Saint-Saëns achieved this through restraint, using the orchestra strategically to accompany and punctuate rather than compete. The result is a work that sounds generous and grand while remaining entirely playable, which is why it has remained essential repertoire for over 150 years.

What to expect

Lyrical and introspective, yet touched with dramatic intensity. The cello sings in sweeping, cantabile phrases while the orchestra provides warm harmonic support, creating an atmosphere of intimacy within a full ensemble setting. The work breathes as a continuous musical journey rather than stopping and starting between movements.

Who it's for

Advanced high school and professional orchestras with a soloist capable of handling the work's considerable technical and expressive demands. This is a standard audition and recital piece for cellists pursuing serious performance careers.

How to get the most out of it

  • Study the relationship between cello and strings carefully; the solo line often echoes or extends ideas introduced by the orchestra, creating a conversational texture that requires precise ensemble timing.
  • Balance the orchestration around the soloist's dynamic range. Even when the cello plays forte, the accompaniment should sit comfortably beneath it rather than match or overwhelm the solo voice.
  • Pay attention to the unifying thematic material that runs across all three sections. Highlight how musical ideas return and transform, helping the audience hear the work as a coherent whole rather than separate movements.

How to use it

Feature this concerto as a major soloist spotlight in a concert celebrating 19th-century French orchestral writing, or pair it with other Saint-Saëns works to frame his development as an orchestrator. It also programs well alongside other Romantic cello concertos, offering a bridge between the Germanic tradition and the French approach to the genre.

Skills your students will build

  • Balancing orchestral accompaniment around a soloistic line
  • Understanding thematic unity across non-traditional movement structures
  • Executing accompaniment figures that support rather than compete with a featured voice
  • Coordinating ensemble entries and punctuation marks that frame the soloist's phrases

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