Cello Concerts in 2025 & 2026
Warm, melancholic, and full of expression – the cello touches something words often cannot capture. This season, the instrument shines in three masterpieces, performed by gifted cellists. Discover the most beautiful cello concerts of 2025 & 2026.
n the 2025–26 season, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra brings three of the most beautiful cello concertos to life, performed by internationally acclaimed top cellists. Each is an iconic composition by a legendary composer, with its own story and character. We’ve gathered the concerts for you below — not in order of importance, but as inspiration for your next night out. Want to learn more about the background of these works? Just scroll down past the concert agenda.
The Most Beautiful Cello Concertos of the Season
Dvořák's Cello Concerto
Dvořáks Cello Concerto
Dvořák’s Cello Concerto is one of the most beloved and moving works in the cello repertoire. It is full of lyricism, Bohemian melodies, and deeply personal emotion—written during a time of longing and loss. While composing, Dvořák was grieving the impending death of his sister-in-law Josefina, with whom he had once been in love. In the slow movement, he even quoted a song that was dear to her, turning the concerto into not only a musical masterpiece, but also an intimate tribute. Cellist Truls Mørk conveys that emotional depth like no other. The Guardian wrote: “Truls Mørk’s powerful, finely etched playing made for a robust performance—always carefully controlled, but with a simmering undercurrent of fury.”★★★★
Shostakovich and Elgar
Elgar's Cello Concerto
Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor, composed in 1919, emerged in the aftermath of the First World War—a time of deep personal and societal disarray. Elgar himself had retreated from public life and struggled with health issues. The war had darkened his once-optimistic outlook. You can hear that loss in the music: it sounds restrained, almost whispered, with melancholic themes and delicate orchestration. At its premiere, the work went largely unnoticed, but it later became one of the most cherished and poignant pieces in the cello repertoire. It calls for a soloist who can effortlessly balance vulnerability with strength—qualities that Finnish rising star Senja Rummukainen delivers in full.
Een fragment met cellist Senja Rummukainen
Shostakovich and Prokofiev
Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante
Prokofiev’s original Cello Concerto was a complete flop. At its 1938 premiere in Moscow, the piece landed poorly—it was badly received, and the conductor didn’t understand it. The work quietly faded from the stage, and even Prokofiev himself lost interest. It wasn’t until ten years later that a young and talented cellist revived the piece, persuading the composer to rewrite it. What had once been a failure was transformed into the virtuosic, fiery, and brilliant Sinfonia Concertante we know today—now considered one of the highlights of the cello repertoire. Cellist Nicolas Altstaedt, renowned for his expressive versatility, is the ideal interpreter of this music. “Cellist Nicolas Altstaedt savours the rhythms and melodies” ★★★★, wrote Trouw.
Nicolas Altstaedt speelt Haydn
