Cello Concerto No. 1 in a minor, Op. 33

Quick Facts

• A piece for cello and orchestra written in one continuous movement with three distinctive sections
• Written in 1872
• Dedicated to French cellist (and friend of the composer) Auguste Tolbecque, who also premiered the work in 1873¹

About the Piece

• Cello Concerto No. 1 has been beloved and admired by audiences since its premiere, in part because it was written in such a way that the cello is never lost in the sound of the orchestra–a common problem among cello concertos in general.
• Following the work’s premiere, an anonymous critic wrote:
  • “It should be clarified that this is in reality a ‘Concertstück,’ since the three relatively short movements run together. The orchestra plays such a major role that it gives the work symphonic character, a tendency present in every concerto of any significance since Beethoven.”
• Fun fact – Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich considered Cello Concerto No. 1 to be the greatest of all cello concertos.
• Listen for – the principal theme of legato running triplets, which is repeated in each of the three sections.²

1. “Cello Concerto No.1, Op.33 (Saint-Saëns, Camille),” IMSLP, accessed July 8, 2024, https://imslp.org/wiki/Cello_Concerto_No.1%2C_Op.33_(Saint-Sa%C3%ABns%2C_Camille).
2. Georg Predota, “On This Day: 19 January: Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1 Was Premiered ,” Interlude (2022), accessed July 8, 2024, https://interlude.hk/on-this-day-19-january-saint-saens-cello-concerto-no-1-was-premiered/.