This new edition and adaptation of an old Simrock publishing work is intended to commemorate the friendship and collaboration between the composer Joseph Reicha and the publisher Nikolaus Simrock.

Joseph Reicha (Rejcha), born in Klattau in Bohemia in 1746, was a pupil of Franz Joseph Werner (1710-1768), the founder of the Prague violoncello school. From 1774-1785 he was first violoncellist in the Fürstlich Ötingen orchestra in Wallerstein, went to Bonn as concertmaster in 1785 and became Kapellmeister there. He died there in 1795.

His orchestra included his nephew and pupil Anton Reicha (1770-1836) and the young Beethoven, but also Nikolaus Simrock (as horn player), who founded his company in Bonn in 1790. It was therefore obvious that compositions by Joseph Reicha - as well as by the young Beethoven - were published by N. Simrock in Bonn. The old Simrock catalogue lists works 1 to 5a: duos for violin and violoncello, concertantes for 2 violins or violin and violoncello with orchestra, 4 violoncello concertos, a concerto for 2 horns with orchestra and 3 symphonies for large orchestra.

The last world war destroyed the stocks and production documents of the publishing house in Leipzig; Reicha's works were also totally affected. However, the publisher is endeavouring to find his works again in archives and with the help of interested parties and to reissue the most valuable of them. The present concerto is certainly one of them; we therefore owe our best thanks to our friends in Prague and Brno, who provided us with the necessary documents.
The Simrock catalogue lists under op. 2 Concertos pour Violoncelle avec accomp. de I'Orchestre No. 1 in E flat major, No. 2 in C major, No. 3 in F minor.

Let us begin with op. 2/No. 2. In this brilliant concerto, Joseph Reicha proves himself to be one of the first cello virtuosos to incorporate the exposed high registers, rare for his time, into his compositional technique. It was published by N. Simrock in Bonn around 1802.

The new edition and arrangement has corrected obvious errors and provided the solo parts with fingerings. The piano reduction was rewritten and the cadenzas were newly composed.

Hamburg - London,1973 Bertold Hummel - G. Riethmüller