Notes for: August 2, 2016
Bottesini was known in his lifetime as the “Paganini of the Double Bass.” Like his older compatriot, violinist Nicolo Paganini, he was a master of his instrument and composed music to demonstrate his remarkable skills. Despite the unwieldy size of the bass, his virtuoso performances were compared to Paganini on the violin.
Born in Lombardy, Bottesini initially studied the violin, but when he applied to the Milan Conservatory, where he needed a scholarship, only two positions were available — double bass and bassoon. He chose the former, passing the audition in a matter of weeks.
Wherever Bottesini played, in America, Havana and England, his extraordinary command of his enormous instrument won him a large following. He also gained a reputation in Europe as conductor and composer. He wrote 13 operas that were performed under his direction in Paris, Palermo, and Barcelona as well as London. He would frequently bring his double bass on stage during the intermission to play fantasies on the evening’s opera. Those fantasies are still popular with double-bass players.
Bottsesini composed more than 30 double-bass pieces for his own performance. He wrote the Gran Duo Concertante initially in 1880 for two double basses and orchestra. Camilllo Sivori, a disciple of Paganini, then transcribed one of the bass parts for the violin, and Sivori’s version is the one we hear this evening. The Gran Duo is a single, sprawling movement that would last around 15 minutes if played at tempo. However, the time can vary depending on the artists’ interpretation and their ability to handle its technical difficulty.