Double Bass Concertos

There are many more famous and - by virtually all measures - objectively better 19th-century concertos than Giovanni Bottesini's 1853 'Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra in B Minor', but this relatively obscure piece has brought me more pleasure than Beethoven's 'Emperor' piano concerto; or Brahms' for the violin; or Dvořák's for the cello, etc. There's something about the way he makes the lugubrious voice of the bass sing so sweetly that never fails to delight me.

Part of the piece's charm for me, is its brevity - it clocks in at 16:13 on this recording. The first two movements have wonderful yearning melodies which aren't allowed to outstay their welcome, while the shorter third wraps things up in a brisk Allegro finalé. Also on this disc is Bottesini's later and longer F sharp minor concerto, a work I've never enjoyed as much as the B minor one. Rounding out the disc is a further charming piece: a 'Gran Duo Passione Amorosa' for two double-basses and orchestral accompaniment.

Bottesini was an accomplished all-rounder who won the soubriquet of 'the Paganini of the double-bass' as a soloist; who enjoyed success in his day as an opera composer; and who was a sought-after conductor, notably brandishing the baton at the première of Verdi's Aïda. The soloist here is Bogusław Furtok, playing with the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt under the direction of Stephan Tetzlaff. I love the sound of the playing & of the recording, though can't claim to be a reliable judge of either.

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