Gulda Cello Concerto now also available for symphony orchestra

On 1 January 2026, the audience at the Kurhaus Wiesbaden experienced a special musical premiere: as part of its festive New Year's concert, the HR Symphony Orchestra presented Friedrich Gulda's Concerto for Violoncello and Wind Orchestra for the first time in a newly arranged version for violoncello and symphony orchestra by Ingmar Sonnenmoser.

Under the baton of Vitali Alekseenok, principal conductor of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein since 2024, the work was performed in symphonic form for the first time. This preserves the original character of the concerto while opening up new tonal perspectives. The demanding solo part was performed by cellist Anastasia Kobekina. With technical brilliance, tonal diversity and great stylistic flexibility, the internationally acclaimed soloist guided the audience through the extremely varied expressive worlds of the work.

Composed in 1980, the concerto for cello and wind instruments is best known for its striking mix of rock, jazz, classical and traditional wind music styles. The arrangement remains stylistically close to the original, but transfers the often chamber music-like gesture into a symphonic context – without losing any of its authenticity. A central concern of the arrangement was to give the unchanged solo part the greatest possible transparency, thus enabling it to be performed without electronic amplification.

Find out more about the performance material.

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