Bottesini's Three Grand Duets for two Double Basses, composed between 1836-1839, are among his earliest original compositions.
Performer Biography
Wolfgang Güttler, a double bassist who played with the Berliner Philharmoniker, founded the ensemble 'Geatles' for 16 double basses in 1991.
Performer Biography
Ovidiu Badila is a leading contemporary double bassist who actively promotes the solo and concert repertoire of his instrument, especially the works of Giovanni Bottesini.
Compositional Technique
These duets are characterized by Bottesini's enthusiasm for combining extreme technical difficulties and his search for variety within the tone-color parity of two identical instruments.
Composer Biography
Giovanni Bottesini, born in Crema in 1821, was a double bass virtuoso who made the instrument successful with both critics and audiences.
Interpretation
The duets, originally for a three-string double bass tuned in 4ths, are performed on this recording with the A-E-B-F# tuning, which Bottesini typically used for solo performances.
Compositional Technique
Unlike Niccolò Paganini, who never wrote for two equal instruments, Bottesini followed the model of Lombard composers like Alessandro Rolla.
You might also enjoy...
Beethoven: Quartets For Piano And Strings, Nos. 1, 2, 3
Johannes Brahms: Piano Quintet, Clarinet Quintet
Schumann: Piano Quartet, Op. 47 - Thalberg: Piano Trio, Op. 69
Starker Plays Italian Sonatas (The Mercury Masters, Vol. 8)
Anner Bylsma plays Cello Suites and Sonatas
Pablo Casals - A Concert at the White House
Italian Cello Sonatas
The early BBC recordings 1961-1965
The Complete HMV Recordings 1926-1955
For the King of Prussia - Beethoven: Sonatas for Fortepiano and Cello, Op. 5
