Respighi’s world premiere Giovanni Sollima, Laura van der Heijden & Antwerp Symphony Orchestra

In 1902, Ottorino Respighi composed his first cello concerto, but only orchestrated the second movement, the famous Adagio con variazioni. Through Respighi's descendants, Giovanni Sollima obtained the sketches for the remaining movements and completed the orchestration. Now, 124 years after Respighi began his Cello Concerto, the world premiere is finally taking place. You can attend this concert at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ. A recently completed cello concerto and a beloved classic by Walton

The Celloconcert by William Walton, commissioned by the Ukrainian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, was premiered immediately. However, the first performances faced a number of setbacks. Piatigorsky suffered a nervous breakdown and Walton himself missed the British premiere due to a serious traffic accident. The work has since become a beloved classic and is part of the standard repertoire of Laura van der Heijden. She won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition with this concerto in 2012 and recorded it in 2024 on an acclaimed CD together with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.