Bottesini: Music for Double Bass and Piano, Vol. 2

Featuring

Joel Quarrington
Harold Robinson
Andrew Burashko
James Campbell
Monica Whicher
Giovanni Bottesini

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Composer Biography

Bottesini, known as 'the Paganini of the Double Bass', toured extensively through Europe, Latin America, and the United States, impressing audiences with his musicality and technical mastery.

Composer Biography

Bottesini was a versatile musician who composed about a dozen operas, eleven string quartets, songs, sacred music, and orchestral works, in addition to his music for double bass.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Bottesini's instrumental works are fundamentally influenced by Italian opera in the style of Donizetti and the younger Verdi, prioritizing melody above all else.

Compositional Technique

Bottesini's music for double bass extends the instrument's range by exploiting harmonics, which produce flute-like sounds, rather than relying on double stops or busy passagework.

Composer Biography

Giovanni Bottesini, the composer, became a double bass virtuoso by chance after only two spots were available at the Milan Conservatory: for bassoon and for double bass.

Performer Biography

Joel Quarrington, the double bassist on this recording, is a winner of the Geneva International Competition and performs on an Italian bass made in 1630 by Santo Paolo Maggini.

Notable Performances

As a conductor, Bottesini held major posts in London, Paris, Palermo, Madrid, and Barcelona, and conducted the premiere of Verdi's Aida in Cairo in 1871.