Cello Concerto no. 2 in D major, Hob. VIIb:2

The D major cello concerto is dated 1783 in Haydn's autograph and was written for Anton Kraft, principal cellist of the Esterházy orchestra and a composer himself. Through the nineteenth century the work was widely held to be Kraft's own, with Haydn's name attached for commercial reasons; the argument was settled only in 1951, when the autograph came to light in Vienna. The solo part sits high on the A string for long stretches, which is what fuelled the doubt — it is written by someone who knew exactly what Kraft could do.