Best Solo Cello Pieces: Top 10 Picks
The cello is one of the most expressive instruments. It has the ability to sing out into any concert hall and tell dynamic stories, even without any accompaniment. Here, we’ll go through what I think are 10 of the best solo cello pieces out there.
On the subject of solo cello pieces, feel free to click here to check out my work for solo cello called Gray Tree. The piece was largely inspired by all of the works mentioned in this blog, so be sure to give that a listen if you’re curious.
For the sake of this post, I’ll be sticking to pieces only for solo cello, and not pieces with any piano or ensemble accompaniment.
Furthermore, let’s dive into some of my favorite solo cello pieces to date.
1. György Ligeti – Sonata for Solo Cello
First on the list is a stunning Soviet-era Sonata from Hungarian/Austrian composer György Ligeti. It was banned after its initial composition in 1953 due to scrutiny by the Composers’ Union and didn’t see a public performance until 1979.
In Dialogo, Ligeti reimagines the 4 strings of the cello as a four-part chorus, with each string acting in dialogue with one another.
Capriccio visits a Kodály-inspired sound world with fierce tremolos, swift natural harmonic gestures and a highly unified form.
Overall, it displays a fantastic understanding of the expressive capabilities of the cello.
2. Gaspar Cassadó – Suite for Solo Cello
Written for cellist Francesco von Mendelssohn, Cassadó’s Suite for Solo Cello is a boastfully gestural, romantic work with a highly acute understanding of idiomatic cello writing.
The piece’s use of harmonics in the melody are very tasteful, and the voice leading in the double stops is very impressive. This is definitely a go-to piece when it comes to perfect cello writing.
3. Alberto Ginastera – Puneña No. 2
Alberto Ginastera’s Puneña No. 2 is an excellent fusion between modernist writing techniques and Argentinian folk tradition, all summed up in a piece for solo cello.
The piece opens with a musical motif based on the word “SACHER”, which is the last name of conductor/patron Paul Sacher whom the piece is dedicated to.
Throughout the piece, you can hear elements of Quechuan traditional music, imitations of the Andean string instrument the charango, and other modernist influences.
Overall, it’s a great timbral exploration that’s definitely worth a listen.
4. Zoltán Kodály – Sonata for Solo Cello
Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello in B minor has, since its 1918 premiere, made itself to be one of the most significant pieces of the solo cello repertoire.
The piece notably detunes the third and fourth string a half step, which helps create the dark, moody tone the piece is known for.
5. Eugène Ysaÿe – Sonata for Solo Cello
Eugène Ysaÿe was one of the most notable violinists of all time, who also contributed a great deal to the violin repertoire through his countless sonatas, duets, and concertos.
What often gets overlooked is the music he wrote for the cello, most notably his Sonata for Solo Cello.
The famed violinist successfully applies his understanding of string virtuosity to the cello, and leaves us with a fantastic demonstration of the instrument’s expressive capabilities.
6. Salvatore Sciarrino – Due Studi
Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino is known well for his ability to create hypnotic sound spaces in his writing, whether it’s a piece a solo instrument or a piece for full orchestra.
His Due Studi, written in 1974, is a perfect example of this.
Sciarrino deploys his vast fondness of modernist writing techniques in a set of two pieces that draw pure texture and sonic exploration right out of a singular cello.
7. George Crumb – Sonata for Solo Cello
George Crumb’s Sonata for Solo Cello is a staple of the modern cello repertoire; it’s a piece that plays with scarcity, lyricality, and virtuosity, all in a way that feels cohesive and highly musical.
While it is a very early work of Crumb’s and comes before many of his more experimental compositions, it still feels quite mature in its approach to musical content.
8. Benjamin Britten – Suite No. 1 for Cello
Britten’s Suite No. 1 for Cello is the result of a passion for the Bach cello suites meeting an adoration for the famed cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, to whom the piece is dedicated.
Containing 9 movements, Britten explores all sorts of characters on the cello.
From a fugue to an imitation of flamenco, there is a lot going on in Britten’s lengthy work for solo cello.
9. Henri Dutilleux – Trois Strophes sur le nom de Sacher
Remember Paul Sacher from earlier?
Here’s another piece dedicated to him, which is also derived off of a musical motif based on the word “Sacher”.
Unlike the Ginastera, this piece is extremely clear in its intentions to lay out a motivic framework and follow it closely.
Also whereas the Puneña was a bit spatial, this, in my opinion, explores more of a lyricality in the cello, which is a nice contrast between the two.
10. Andrew Norman – For Ashley
And last but not least, is American composer Andrew Norman’s For Ashley.
Commissioned as part of Ashley Bathgates’ New Amsterdam project/record “Ash”, For Ashley is a perfectly written piece on the subject of slowly changing things.
As the piece progresses, the motivic material slowly expands, evolves, and in a quick flurry, crumbles to nothing.
It almost feels like a contemplation on nature, and the principles of organic growth and change.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of extremely expressive cello pieces that really show off the instrument’s capabilities (Huge shoutout to Quenton Blache for helping out with this list).
Looking for more solo cello repertoire?
Click here to check out my work for solo cello, titled Gray Tree.
As featured on The Violin Channel, it is an expressive piece paired with an animation that reflects on continually growing in gloomy times.
