Concerto in B-minor, Op. 104 Cover Image

Concerto in B-minor, Op. 104: Cello, Solo with Piano, Solo and Piano

$22.95 USD
$22.95 USD
Skip to product information
Concerto in B-minor, Op. 104 Cover Image
Concerto in B-minor, Op. 104: Cello, Solo with Piano, Solo and Piano

Concerto in B-minor, Op. 104: Cello, Solo with Piano, Solo and Piano

By Antonin Dvorak, ed. Zuill Bailey

Item: 36-50730001
$22.95
Shipped

One moment…

Description
Antonín Dvorák (1841-1904) composed his Concerto for Cello in B minor, Op. 104/B. 191 in 1894. It was the last solo concerto that the composer wrote, and it was the final work that he wrote during his three-year term as Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York. While the encouragement to write the concerto came from cellist Hanus Wihan, the work was premiered in the end by cellist Leo Stern on March 19, 1896, with Dvorák conducting the London Philharmonic. This LudwigMasters edition for cello and piano includes the solo part as edited by Zuill Bailey with a piano reduction by Paul Kletzki.

Concerto in B-minor, Op. 104: Cello, Solo with Piano, Solo and Piano isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.

Request This Title

Tell us you want it.

Start Your Free Trial

Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Pages

No sample pages found.
Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: LudwigMasters String Series
Publisher: Keiser Productions, Inc.
ISBN10: 8-89-563978-2
ISBN13: 979-8-89-563978-8
UPC: 654690569707
SKU: 36-50730001
Instrumentation: Violoncello and Piano

More about this title

About the Composer: Antonín Dvorák

Antonín Dvorák (1841-1904) was a Czech composer who bridged Romantic nationalism and symphonic tradition. His music drew deeply from folk melodies and rhythms of his homeland while engaging with European classical forms, earning him recognition across the continent. In 1892, he accepted an invitation to serve as Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York, a position he held for three years. During this period, he composed some of his most significant works, including the Cello Concerto in B minor, which stands as one of the great monuments of the cello repertoire.

Dvorák's time in America exposed him to spirituals and Native American music, influences that enriched his compositional voice without displacing his Czech identity. He was a mentor to American composers and a champion of developing homegrown musical culture. His legacy rests on his ability to compose music of structural rigor and emotional depth while remaining rooted in the vernacular traditions he cherished.

Why we love this

This concerto deserves a place on any serious cellist's stage because it combines virtuosic brilliance with genuine lyricism. Dvorák writes for the cello as both a heroic voice and an intimate storyteller, and the piano reduction preserves the sweeping orchestral gestures while remaining playable and musically complete. The work's emotional arc, from its dramatic opening to the deeply introspective slow movement and jubilant finale, gives performers and audiences alike a complete artistic journey.

What to expect

The Concerto opens with urgent, almost operatic intensity before yielding to moments of tender introspection. There is a Romantic grandeur throughout, supported by Dvorák's gift for memorable melody and harmonic color. By the finale, the work radiates optimism and virtuosic triumph, though never at the expense of lyricism.

Who it's for

Advanced cellists preparing concerto repertoire for competitions, recitals, or auditions will find this Dvorák essential. Teachers seeking to introduce upper-level students to a 19th-century masterwork that offers both technical challenge and profound musicality should consider this edition. Pianists collaborating with cellists benefit from Kletzki's piano reduction, which captures the work's architectural scope while remaining idiomatic to the keyboard.

How to get the most out of it

  • Shape the opening theme with a singing tone and clear rhythmic confidence; the cello must establish itself as the protagonist from measure one.
  • Balance the technical passagework in the first movement against the lyrical material by reserving your most expansive vibrato and tone production for the melodic lines.
  • In the Adagio, allow silence and space between phrases to let the emotional weight settle; resist the urge to fill every moment.
  • Coordinate closely with your pianist on the transitions between movements, particularly the attacca into the Allegro moderato finale, to maintain forward momentum through structural changes.

How to use it

Program this work as the centerpiece of a chamber recital devoted to 19th-century cello concertos, or as a standalone feature on a concert focused on Dvorák's output. It pairs well with shorter American or Czech repertoire that reflects Dvorák's New World period. The dramatic span and emotional depth make it suitable for finale slots in season concerts or spring recitals where you want a powerful final impression.

Skills your students will build

  • Secure intonation across extended first position and higher positions
  • Sustaining a singing tone through rapid passagework and technical figurations
  • Balancing solo line with piano accompaniment in both lyrical and virtuosic sections
  • Phrasing and structural awareness across a multi-movement work
  • Command of dynamic range and vibrato control for expressive contrast

You May Also Like