"My Cello Concerto is introduced by the soloist alone, playing a frequently interrupted cantilena that presents ideas later to be expanded into movements. These movements are connected by episodes that often refer to the final Allegro fantastico. In this score I have tried to find meaningful, personal ways of revealing the cello’s vast array of wonderful possibilities. Commissioned by the Chicago Symphony for the amazing Yo-Yo Ma, who has given outstanding performances of my 1948 Cello Sonata, the score was composed in New York City and Southbury, Connecticut during 2000."

--Elliott Carter, 2001

18 minutes.