The Haydn Cello Concerto in C transcription for the Viola came about following a request from my daughter, Josephine, who is Piatti Chair of Cello at the R.AM., for a performance she was to give with The English Sinfonia. As l worked on the cadenzas using my viola I began to realise the concerto worked perfectly for the viola. It is a masterpiece of a mid-18th string concerto and far superior to those of Stamitz and Hoffmeister. As these latter concertos are the standard requirements for orchestral and music college auditions I felt it high time something better could be provided. After all, violists play the Bach Cello Suites so why not an 18th cello concerto,

About the author
Mark Knight is Professor of Violin and Viola at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. A specialist in the historical development of string playing in the 17th and 18th centuries, he has developed an acknowledged reputation for his training of players of 'modern' instruments in the essentials of authentic performing practice.

A student of Professor Yfrah Neaman and disciple of Carl Flesch's technical principles, Mark Knight has past pupils in many of the UK's premier ensembles including the Academy of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, London Sinfonietta and the English Chamber Orchestra, as well as senior members of several symphony orchestras. Among his ex-students are established solo performers Philip Dukes and Lawrence Power. Both have been soloists in prestigious ensembles in BBC Promenade concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.