Robert Schumann (1810-1856) wrote his CELLO CONCERTO in A minor, Op. 129, in 1850, within the span of only two weeks.  He tried offering the work to two publishers before Breitkopf and Hartel decided to publish it.  He stressed the point that it would probably sell because cello concerti were few and far between.  Never performed in the composer’s lifetime, it received its premiere in Oldenburg on April 23, 1860, with Ludwig Ebert playing the solo part.  The unique charm of the concerto lies in its structure and scoring, without movement breaks, and written so that the cello part almost never strays from its middle and upper registers. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.2: 2.2.0.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Cello. Reprint edition. Solo part edited by Rudolf Metzmacher.