Cello Concerto no. 2 in D minor, op. 119

The Second Cello Concerto dates from 1902, thirty years after the First, and is dedicated to the Dutch cellist Joseph Hollman, who premiered it in Paris. Saint-Saëns is reported to have predicted that it would never match the popularity of its predecessor because it was too difficult — a judgment the concert repertoire has confirmed. It is laid out in two large movements, each subdivided, with a scherzo embedded in the first and a set of variations in the second; the solo part sits high and demands sustained playing in the upper register throughout.