Myaskovsky's only cello concerto was written over the last three months of 1944 and dedicated to cellist Svyatoslav Knushevitsky. Despite being denounced, in 1948, along with fellow composers Prokofiev, Khachaturian, and Shostakovich, among others, for their "formalism" and "cosmopolitanism" over the previous decade and earlier, Myaskovsky was viewed quite favorably by the Soviet government and, as was the case with his Symphony No. 21 (1940), his Cello Concerto won the Stalin Prize. The concerto, one of Myaskovsky's most gentle and lovely works, happens to share the same orchestral complement as the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Johannes Brahms—pairs of woodwinds, four horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings—but has little of the dynamism and sense of titanic struggle of Brahms' concerto. If Myaskovsky is reflecting any of his own feelings about World War II in the cello concerto, they are feelings of sadness and eventual consolation, rather than of anger. The concerto is in two fairly lengthy movements, totaling just over half an hour. It begins with a restrained Lento, ma non troppo. The mournful opening melody, darkly colored by strings and bassoon, leads into the cello's entry. The flute and oboe gradually bring some lighter colors into the mix. Rather than stressing virtuosity, this opening movement employs the cello primarily as a melodic voice. What little display the soloist is allowed comes in the short cadenza toward the end of the movement. The second movement, Allegro vivace, starts with a tarantella-like theme, to which the cello adds a second, folk song-like melody. These and other ideas are woven together and varied over the course of the movement's 20 minutes. After a cadenza for the soloist, a fanfare leads into a passionate restatement of the first movement's opening theme. The mournful tone of that opening movement returns for a time, but the work ends on a more peaceful note, resolving into a gentle C major.

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