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

A recently completed cello concerto and a beloved classic by Walton

Ottorino Respighi composed his first cello concerto in 1902, but only orchestrated the second movement, his famous Adagio con variazioni. Through Respighi’s descendants, Giovanni Sollima received the sketches of the other movements and took it upon himself to finish the orchestration. Now, 124 years after Respighi started writing his Cello Concerto, the piece is ready for its world premiere.

William Walton’s Cello Concerto, commissioned by the Ukrainian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, did have its premiere straight upon completion. However, the first performances didn’t come about without issues. Piatigorsky suffered a nervous breakdown and Walton himself missed the British premiere due to a severe traffic accident. Nowadays, the work is a beloved classic and a part of Laura van der Heijden’s standard repertoire. She won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition in 2012 performing the concerto, as well as releasing it on CD in 2024 with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra – an album which received overwhelming praise.