Bass blog reader Bobby Sleeper sent me a link to this outstanding video of Berlin Philharmonic principal bassist Nabil Shehata and cellist Kyril Zlotnikov performing Bottesini’s Fantasia on themes by Rossini with the East-West Divan Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. This beautifully shot footage is from a live concert in Alhambra,Granada in 2006. This video only contains the first seven minutes of the piece, but it is titled "Part 1", so hopefully part 2 will be coming shortly. If so, you’ll see it here on the blog as well.
Contrabass Conversations guest Guy Tuneh has performed many times with the East-West Divan Orchestra and Daniel Barenboim. Check out Guy Tuneh’s Contrabass Conversations page for more double bass content from him.
Related Posts:
- Guy Tuneh bass bow case now available
- Vito Liuzzi performs Nino Rota – video
- Guy Tuneh video on Contrabass Conversations
- Guy Tuneh interview part 1
- Guy Tuneh interview part 2
subscribe to the blog – subscribe to the podcast
Bass News Right To Your Inbox!
Subscribe to get our weekly newsletter covering the double bass world.
Why the bassist cannot play with round fingers?,his technic is a bit strange..
the Cello is cool.
Very normal for some who plays in the bernlin philharmonic.
It is played good, But Berlin Philharmonic player? are you sure??
yes, he is the new principal bass of the Berlin phil. I’m amazed people would be distracted by his fingers…
“Distracted”?!, he should be a Modell to all of the orchestra musions. From the point of Tec & Music.and this he is not doing!!!
He have to the best! but,
a lot of piople out there are playing better!.they make more music & they have an elegant technic.
He is a good bass player, but not amazing musion nither Artist,
Hallo, he is an orchestra musion!!
and that all!
Well, there’s obviously a reason that he won one of the most coveted positions in the world for a double bass player. I can’t believe no one else seems to be impressed by this! There’s something about his playing that just astounds me. He is SO clean with every shift! who cares if his fingers aren’t round, they’re getting the job done better than most who have ever touched the instrument! Mr. Shehata, BRAVO!
Double-bass playing is not only shifting…!!!, and yes they could do the job better if they would be round!
What about the other things like
intresting music, ideas..
there are other things to see and to hear and to wait for when someone is playing in orchestra like this, OR??
A good bass player, but NOT AN ARTIST.!
…? what a puzzling controversy we have brewing here. The criticisms being leveled here are 1) his fingers aren’t curved enough and 2) his playing isn’t “artistic” enough. Personally, I don’t see much if anything to criticize. Am I missing something? I’ve heard (gossip) that when Barenboim heard his audition for Staatskappele Berlin (principal bass, which he won) he considered it the best bass audition he had ever heard. It was shortly after this that he won Berlin Phil.
well,
1: dont belive to any gossip that you hear!!
2: The fact that you dont see anything to criticize, doesnt mean that there is no to critic.
He is a very good bass player,
but i have heard better then him!
You all American,
Come to Europe and see what is going hear!
Amazing players are on the street,
(no work)
some of them are much better then Shehata.
he had so much luck & he knows this.
Please stop this crazy conversaion
and Americans, dont be so amaized from him, we have hear in europe
not less better then him.
for us he is a bit more then normal!
Ha Ha Ha,
All of you..
Do you realy think that the best one win audition ,Ha Ha
not in Europe.!!
he also looks very good, in germany he is even Amazing good looking…
and abit help from Barenboim also can open doors.
so , people dont be so …
He needs to work on more expressive vibrato his arm seems really tight, and also strengthen his fingers, but man that is a beautiful bass!
Finaly someone who understands.!!
with his comment.
Both Shehata and Tuneh are Amazing players!!
i saw them in Berlin at the Philharmonie, with D.
Barenboim, last summer.
The first Pult was with this two,
they did just AMAZING.Mozart was outstanding,
Thaikovsky No. 6 was so good, amazing how Tuneh can lead…
Shehata has a nice sound and Tuneh is a
Clown.
Sorry. 😕
“Dear” Mr. American,
Why dont you write your name, so that every one know who is the “Prof.”, that show us That he has no idea about bass playing.
but even without we know your name,
some things we know about you:
1; You Envy Mr. Tuneh (till death)!!!
2; You have a Majer problem of Low
Self- esteem.!!!
Dear American,
Dont sorry, show us that you can do better.
lets begin with your NAME.
Dear American, I Think that someone have to help you to understand something about Bass playing, music and art.
You are right, Maestro Tuneh can be a Clown,
but he can also make us cry, or just to tell us
a story with his Bass, he make us to feel something, and every time in other way. This is what make him such an Outstanding and a Great Artist. he not only a Outstanding Bass player , he is a Great Musion, Great Artist
and most of all A Great Person.
Dont be sad, if you work hard, and you will use your TALENT mybe you will also be able to play
on the level of Maestro Tuneh or Maestro Shehata.
Something about Guy Tuneh,
If you had the chance to work with him (because he is not working with everybudy), you would learn that he is first class Proffesional who is looking for perfection, looking for new ideas and never let go untill he findes what is right for his music, his ideas are so original he is a GENIUS.
working with him; will take out of youself 170%. he is taking you and himself to the limit.
working with him is not easy but at the end you will be better, if you singing, playing or acting.
and you will love yourself for what you do on stage and for how the audians will love you.
He is a Genius!!
everyone can learn from him, he is a Multy Talent, he knows alot and have an open mind!
he is Amazing fast, all the time one step before you.
With him you need to give all, you need to give everything that you have on stage!!
I wish that all of the musions on earth would be like him (not only bass-players), it was a great time and i’m happy that i got the chance to work with this Amazing Artist.
I agree–I think that Guy is awesome. I’d normally have moderated the comment about Guy earlier, but I figured that someone would like to offer a rebuttal to it, so I left it up.
Well, my name is Dan Formtack. American is my nickname (What is the problem that?)
I like and respect the clowns. When told that tuneh was a … Was not a destructive criticism … But a comment aesthetic-artistic. I like expressions natural and authentic rather than charges of images and sounds, I believe in the value of art.
Jason, “I’d normally have moderated the comment earlier about Guy”?
Why? You surprised me with that comment. No offense in that post, only a humble opinion. 😥
Mr. Formtack,
Are we going to have the chance to hear you playing Contrabass or other Music Instrument?
You need to be more then just a “Clown”to go
on stage and to do what Mr. Tuneh is doing!
In a Time that all over people are trying to play Original music for Bass or to show off before audion etc., Mr. Tuneh (who, by the way-already did that) is performing with other music.
this is very importent for us, some one has to show that it goes.
i could use his videos and learn alot about sound
technic and stage presents.
I wish Mr. Tuneh all the best.
and for you, “Dan formtack” dont anvy and don’t
be such a Jerk-off.
To be a “Clown” is much better then to be
Low self-esteem Idiot!!
After looking at all of the Responses to this Video one thing is clear;
People like Shehata and Tuneh have hard time,
they pay a heavy price for what they are…
Let’s see:
1: To study in Germany (at Hanns eisler music school under B. Sanderling) and in Swizerland (under W. Güttler)
2: To win some Prices (like “ECHO”, and the
“Villa Musica” Price, and so on..
3: To Record more then 25 live concerts
to the German, Swiss and Austrian Radio
4: Working with people like: Mehta, Rattle,
Masur, Barenboim, Bouletz, Gajdos, Güttler and so on…
5: playing with the Best German Orchestras
and in Luxemburg and in Israel and so on..
6: Teaching … ( his students got to be
at Music schools in Europe and so on..)
7: Making a Bow-Case for Nobel Bows with his
own name on it (I saw it & its Fantastic ).
8: Solo, Chamber music performing and so on…
9 Every time To show something new on the
Bass and Great musical ideas ….
10: Outstanding bass playing.
11: A Very Very Very nice Person, that giving
to other people alot from him self.
Dont Sound to me like Clown !
Sound to me more like a Talented hard worker
on his way to be a STAR.
Tuneh is an Amazing player, but the video is about Shehata and Barenboim.
.
I loved this performance, great video!
Bottesini is great!
Double bass is great!
Freedom of opinion, indispensable!
The art wins!!!
Barenboim, Congratulations!
Great performace of the soloists!
What are these strings?
Have a dark sound.
Guy Tuneh is the finest bass player alive today!!!
I’m sure that Mr. Shehat and Mr. Tuneh are good friends
and that they see the things differently.
Tuneh or Shehata,
Both are 1st class bassists!!
Only because Guy Tuneh was Principal Bassist along Nabil Shehata it dosn’t mean that this video is about Tuneh!
Its about Nabil…
Tuneh has also videos but this one is about Nabil!
Both are AMAZING but why are U mixing??
(sorry for my english)
After reading the comments on this page:
If Shehata would have been such a hero as some commentes descraibs him, then how come he is not longer by the “Berliner
Philharmoniker” after so short time?
Why some comments are so “pro” althoh this is a very normal level of playing? (technicly it perfect, but nothing more then that… like a very good student, from this kind we have so many in germany)
In that case, i would expected to hear in his playing kind of personality, musicality, or something special for a change.
So this is what i thing:
As long as he was in that orchestra everybody was commenting with out even to see that he is a very adverge bass player,
everybody had fear that if they would say something against Nabil than the other would think: “ohh crazy comment, how can he even dare to say something about the principal of the BPO”.
once again – the power of a TITLE! & no dog on this planet will go and say his opinian without to have fear! tipicl.
Now, i have no idea how Guy Tuneh’s name got mixed is this very low level of discusion?
Maybe because Tuneh has NO TITLE and it is clearly that Tuneh is a very special bassist, and still he dosent need an Orchestra to gain him self a Title, this fact can cuse a conflict by lot of players how think that; “my quality of playing masured in witch orchestra i’m playing…”, well, for people who believe in that, good morning and i wish you a soft landing on earth.
So,
Tuneh is an easy target. (for the non idiots of us; and still after all of this crap, he is standing on stage and performing, without to hide bihaind a Title, what showes an outstanding strong personality)
The hope of the germans about nabil is crashed in the same speed it was built, and if not the Asocial Barenboim, he would have crach long ago! (barenboim uses nabil for his israely-arabic orchestra, it feets to his interese very good)
Nabil is out and it looks to me that Tuneh (with or without barenboim) is still in.
Something about the Berliner Philharmoniker:
as a german, this orchestra can be realy evel, thay are arogant
and lasy, no wonder that so many people are chosing to run away from this devil place (but the wonder that marketing can do…).
Edicson Ruiz, so strong player, much more special than nabil,
didnt get the chance to prove his talent as a principal in that orchestra, why? (maby becuse his fingers are round, his hands are not stuf and he is a great musicion…)
In my eye, Tuneh is above all of this orchestra crap stories and conections, and as a lonly walker would always be expose to attacts, this is the price of being special…, but still it dosnt matter what some little anwe people will comment, Tuneh’s playing, his expressionits, his stage presents, his repertuare is level on its own!
Shehata could have the best chance to do somthings positive for his instrument but still he didnt –maybe he dont realy love enoth his instrument for this (some people could say: we can hear it in his playing that his EGO is bigger…)
In the end like always, in the right moment what is important is not your TITLE or your connections or what other people thing about you, ist what you are and what you can do and how far you goes after your dreams.
Michael, Germany.
False
He is no longer Solo-Bassist with the Berliner Phil.!
The reason he no longer works with Berlin Phil is simple. He got a fantastic teaching job and Germany has the stupid rule that one can’t hold two such positions simultaneously. Now, how is that for being a good person? He seems to prefer helping students than playing for his own glory.