Eugene d’Albert, a Scottish-born French composer and virtuoso pianist, has given concerts in Europe and the USA, and was famous for his interpretations of piano works by Beethoven and Brahms, as well as for his editing of works by J. S. Bach and Liszt. In addition to his active activities as a concert pianist, d’Albert was also a prolific composer. His output includes 21 operas, piano, vocal, chamber and symphonic compositions. Alongside these works, his Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, composed in 1899, is an important and significant composition. It is said that, even today, many cellists still regard this opus as an undiscovered jewel. It is a virtuoso work full of romantic passion, rich lyricism and drama. D’Albert’s the only cello concerto was influenced by the romanticists Liszt and Brahms. The three movements, Allegro moderato, Andante con moto and Allegro vivace, are performed without interruption.

In d’Albert’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, rarely heard in concert halls, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Modestas Pitrėnas, is joined by Justus Grimm, the Antwerp Conservatoire’s professor of cello.