In 1972 Nino Rota composed his Cello Concerto No. 1. the actual date of the world premiere, however, remains unknown today. In contrast to his Cello Concerto No. 2, he refers here to the late Romantic solo concerto: The larger orchestra is given a more important function, and the thematic material is characterized by a striking chromaticism.

'Kai' was written in memory of Kai Scheffler, principal cellist and a key member of the Ensemble Modern in Germany, who died tragically young in 1989. . The 18 minute work is in four continuous movements and leads the performers from an aggressive opening through many contrasting sections, often distinctly jazz influenced, to a slow final requiem. . The solo part is almost exclusively lyrical, stretching out long, mournful lines over an accompaniment which, in contrast, can be abrupt and claustrophobic. . This is a challenging and fantastically rewarding work which has established itself in the core of the contemporary cello repertoire.

The Cello Concerto No. 2 is Nino Rota's third contribution to the genre, but he does not include the early Cello Concerto dating back to 1925 in his own list of works: this composition only received its very much delayed first performance in Milan in November 2010. The much later Cello Concerto No. 2 was created around the same time as Rota's work on the soundtrack for The Godfather II for which the composer received an Oscar in 1975. Although there are no direct quotations from the film-track in this concerto, the section in 6/8-time displays a slight hint of the well-known Sicilian Pastorale.