Jean Sibelius composed far less music for the cello than for the violin. Malinconia (op. 20) – published in 1911 but composed in 1900 under the title Fantasia – remained his only opus-numbered work exclusively for cello and piano.

The Fantasia for cello and piano, an early stage of Malinconia, was premiered at a soirée in the Solemnity Hall of the University of Helsinki on 12 March 1900 and was given positive press reviews: “The work, which mainly drew attention with its logical and c...