Nikolai Myaskovsky composed his Cello Concerto in C minor, Op.
It ranks among the few works of the composer that are found frequently in concert or on recordings.
The concerto was written for Sviatoslav Knushevitsky, one of Myaskovsky's great champions, who premiered it in Moscow on 17 March 1945.
[1] The first recording, however, was made by Mstislav Rostropovich in 1956.
The piece is among the late works of the composer, and among its melodies appear Russian folk songs.