Schumann: Cello Concerto in A Minor, Arr.

Robert Schumann wrote his Cello Concerto in A Minor, op. 129, in two weeks in 1850, shortly after moving to Düsseldorf to assume the position of city music director. Schumann proposed an arrangement of the piece for solo cello and string quartet to his publisher Breitkopf & Härtel in 1853, but his proposal was rejected. The composer’s conception of a chamber version of the piece, here realized for the first time by Ka-Wai Yu, allows cellists, scholars, and music lovers to enjoy the piece outside an orchestral setting, rediscovering the intimacy and chamber music character of performances in Schumann’s time. The present edition is also a practical version for cellists to become better acquainted with the orchestra part, improve their ensemble skills, or even perform the piece without hiring an orchestra.