Roman Patkoló, the double bassist on this recording, was a scholarship holder of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation and has premiered new contemporary compositions for violin and double bass with Anne-Sophie Mutter.
Compositional Technique
Sperger is considered the most important double bassist of the leading German Vienna School, having treated the instrument with unparalleled virtuosity and compositional versatility.
Cultural Impact
The biennial "Sperger Competition" for double bass, established in 1999, has significantly increased awareness of Sperger's compositions and his role as a double bassist.
Historical Context
Sperger's foresight preserved the entire solo literature for the double bass from the Classical era, with at least 38 works, which is uniquely housed in the Mecklenburg-Schwerin State Library.
Composition History
Sperger consistently used the term "Contrabasso" for his solo double bass compositions, crossing out the older term "Violone" on the title pages of his concertos.
Composer Biography
Johann Matthias Sperger, a double bassist in the court orchestra of Duke Friedrich Franz I in Ludwigslust, was largely unknown in his own city until recently, despite his significant musical contributions.
Instruments
During the Viennese Classical era, the double bass was played with a "third-fourth tuning" (Viennese tuning), which was later replaced by the fourths tuning after 1800 with the rise of the Beethovenian orchestra.
