The double bass is an indispensable part of the orchestra, but unfortunately, it rarely gets its due! Let’s delve into some fascinating bass concertos from over the years and explore the different ways that the instrument can be showcased!
Johann Baptist Wanhal: Double Bass Concerto
Czech Classical era composer Johann Baptist Wanhal (alternately spelled Vanhal) wrote one of the very first significant concertos for double bass. The virtuosic and erudite piece showcases the full melodic potential — and musical range — of the instrument.
Giovanni Bottesini: Concerto No. 2 in B Minor
Italian Romantic composer and eminent double bassist Giovanni Bottesini grabs the listener’s attention from the charged, moody opening salvo. Bottesini composed the work in 1845 and premiered it as the soloist in 1851, but it would be a further 75 years before it was published. The lyrical work is one of the cornerstones of the double bass repertoire.
Serge Koussevitzky: Concerto in F Sharp Minor
Longtime Boston Symphony Orchestra music director Serge Koussevitzky first trained as a double bass player. He performed in orchestras in his native Russia before moving to conducting. Though he’s better remembered for his BSO leadership and his avid support of contemporary music, his 1902 bass concerto is a standard of the rep, one of the absolute showpieces for the bass. As distinguished American bassist Gary Karr notes of the late-Romantic work, it’s “unlikely that anyone but a double bassist could have written a work so perfectly suited to the instrument.”
Tan Dun: Wolf Totem
Chinese-American composer Tan Dun creates an atmospheric and enigmatic double bass concerto that invokes power and wistfulness. This 20-minute piece emphasizes the percussive capacity of the instrument and looks to the diverse regions along the silk road for inspiration, conjuring a sense of wonderment and adventure.
Elena Kats-Chernin: Concerto for 8 Double Bass, The Witching Hour
Australian composer and pianist Elena Kats-Chernin assembles 8 (!) double bass soloists for this tour-de-force work. The dramatic work premiered in 2016 and pulls from a Russian fairy tale, and the bass players take turn performing as soloists or in group, as Kats-Chernin weaves an immersive, fantastical story.
