Music featured includes the classic Gary Karr Recording of Serge Koussevitsky’s 1905 Concerto (Op.3) with Uros Lajovic conducting the Berlin Radio Symphony (Koch-Schwann 11063) & Edgar Meyer’s Quintet recorded with the Emerson String Quartet (DG 453 506)

For the February 25th Edition of the Composers Datebook, click http://download.publicradio.org/podcast/composers_datebook/2011/02/25/datebook_20110225_128.mp3

For a daily dose of music history, subscribe to the podcast’s rss feed here or in iTunes, click here. To visit the Composers Datebook archive of programs at American Public Media, click here.

From their site: The Composers Datebook is produced by American Public Media in association with the American Composers Forum, with initial support from the William and FLora Hewlett Foundation. The creator of the series and its principal writer is John Michel of American Composers Forum. The Composers Datebook Web site is maintained by American Public Media with content provided by ACF.

As a bassist, I have always taken advantage of all opportunities I find to play chamber music.  Unfortunately, these opportunities have seemed to be exceedingly rare–at least, compared to those of my upper-string-playing friends and colleagues.  I remember one of the few chamber music coachings I had during undergrad–something that was a weekly ritual for the rest of the string players–and being blown away by the level of musicality that was expected by the players and the teacher.  Everyone was focusing on a much more refined level of phrasing, intonation, and musicality than was ever possible in a large orchestra rehearsal, and certainly a higher level than what was generally expected of the bass players.  This inspired me–but also made me rather envious of the other string players!

While I performed in chamber groups when possible, the repertoire options always seemed very limited, and this was discouraging.  I kept my ears open for names of pieces, and picked up suggestions from others, but was never particularly systematic about it.  The list of pieces I was familiar with during undergrad was short: Schubert “Trout” Quintet, Dvorak Quintet, Prokofiev Quintet, several modern pieces by Jon Deak and David Anderson, and maybe a handful of other pieces I’d heard about.  I’ve found more pieces throughout the years, but the list never seemed long enough to fill up a lifetime of music making.

Last Spring, I sat down to talk with Kurt Muroki [an interview from this conversation appears in the June-Sept 2009 edition of the ISB's "Bass World" magazine] about a number of topics, including chamber music.  Kurt has focused his career on performing chamber music and in chamber orchestras, and I had been somewhat baffled about the repertoire piece of the puzzle.  I joked that most people think that a bassist who wants to be a chamber musician will need to play the Schubert “Trout” every week.  When I asked Kurt whether there were really that many good pieces out there, he responded, “Tons!  There’s tons! “  Kurt proceeded to talk about how he felt that chamber music was, in addition to a great art form, one of the best methods of training for soloists and orchestral musicians.  He felt strongly that it should be an integral part of a musician’s experience at all levels of growth.

In the months following that conversation, I have become inspired to search more carefully for pieces, and have already turned up much more than I imagined was out there.

First of all, there are several dedicated chamber-music-with-bass groups in existence that have been recording numerous lesser-known works, generally from the classical period.  I find that these recordings are a great way to start sorting through possibilities, and to discover which works one wants to program.

Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet is a group in the “Trout” formation: violin, viola, cello, bass, and (forte)piano.  They have, indeed, made a recording of the Schubert “Trout”, but also of piano quintets by John Baptist Cramer, Johann Nepomuk Hummel (from whom they take their name–and who may have been the first to write for this combination,) Johann Ladislaus Dussek, George Onslow, Ferdinand Ries, and Franz Limmer.  Personally, I was completely blown away by this list.  I had heard of some of these composers, but had no idea that they had all written piano quintets that included bass.

Another great resource is the Ensemble Concertant Frankfurt.  The ensemble was founded by members of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and has a string quintet at its core.  They have recorded string quintets by L. Boccherini, Joseph Eybler, Franz Xaver Gebel, and George Onslow, in addition to several pieces with piano and additional strings.  Again, my reaction was one of surprise: “Gebel? Onslow? Eybler?  Why have I never heard of these composers before?”

Of course, the first answer one expects (as a cynic, at least) is that the composers were second rate, and there was a reason that there music disappeared.  While this may be the case with a few composers that I’ve run into–or at least with some of the pieces by these composers–I have been finding quite a few pieces that I think are worth serious consideration.

Another ensemble from Germany that has had a very significant output is the Linos Ensemble.  They are a larger group, with a core of five string players, five wind players, and a pianist.  They have quite a long list of CDs, and have recorded chamber works with bass by Dvorak, Farrenc, Fesca, Francaix, Prokofiev, Ries, Schubert, and Spohr.  Some serious listening homework!

Two groups in London,  The Schubert Ensemble of London and the Nash Ensemble, have both made significant contributions as well.
The Schubert Ensemble of London has released fine recordings of the Schubert and Hummel piano quintets, as well as a disc with two piano quintets by the French composer Louise Farrenc (1804-1875.)  Here is another practically unknown composer who wrote for the “Trout” combination, and the two quintets are certainly worth looking into.  The Schubert Ensemble has also released recordings containing two other pieces of interest: Martin Butler’s “Rounds” for string quintet, and Piers Hellawell’s “Weaver of Grass” for piano quintet.  According to (ISB president and former London resident) Rob Nairn, the group has commissioned 15 or so pieces with the “Trout” instrumentation, and I hope they put more of these to disc in the future.

The Nash Ensemble has been in existence for over forty years, and has released over fifty recordings.  Quite a few include works with bass (featuring either Rodney Slatford or Duncan McTier), such as an early piano quintet by Vaughan Williams; septets by Beethoven, Berwald, and Hummel; nonets by Arnold Bax and Louis Spohr; and many others.

For those of you who want to check out any of these recordings, or look for some more, here are two great sources:
HB Direct –one of the best classical music sources on the web.  Yes, Amazon and some other sites have similar lists of recordings, but I personally like the idea of supporting one of the few companies that still specializes in classical music.

Berkshire Record Outlet –Many musicians who have attended the BSO’s Tanglewood Institute have made an afternoon pilgrimage to this store, and, happily, they have a website with a very good search engine.  They specialize in overstocks and cutouts, and so one can often find incredible deals here.  I have turned up numerous hard-to-find discs here, including older Chamber Society of Lincoln Center recordings with Edgar Meyer, a Moscow String Quartet album that includes a string quintet by Glinka (yet another piece I’d never heard of!), and many other finds.  My one “oops” was buying a baroque disc that featured a piece for violin and bass, which turned out to be “ground bass”–just a harpsichord.  But I think that disc was only $4, so no big deal.

As far as the scores and parts for all of these pieces go . . . let’s just say it can take quite a few hours of internet searching to dig some of these up.  Many are not commercially available, and those that are can be exceedingly expensive.

One great source for finding printed music is the wonderful IMSLP / Petrucci Music Library.  This site brings together the digitized collections of many libraries and other sources, and allows you to download all of these public domain works for free.  I have found several hard-to-find scores here, including works by Gebel and Onslow.  Again, it can take a bit of time to dig up works of interest–and you have to print it all out yourself–but this is sure easier than flying to, say, Copenhagenm so that you can dig through the Royal Danish Library archives yourself (one of the many contributors to the database.)

Recordings are only way one to start digging into lesser-known repertoire.  While it is obviously helpful to get a preview from a recording, there is no substitute for trying out pieces yourself.  Also, the majority of chamber pieces with bass have not been recorded, and so, at some point, one must forge off the (recorded) path.

For those of you who really are motivated, run, don’t walk, to Paul Nemeth’s definitive “2000 Chamber Works with the Double Bass” page.  It is both highly inspirational and highly overwhelming!  But it is a terrific resource (I can’t believe I didn’t know about it until this week!!) and I look forward to playing–and hearing–many of these works in the future.

I feel that I’ve only scratched the surface of what is out there, and am looking forward to more discoveries.  In future posts, I hope to cover some of these works more in depth, as well as looking at great 20th century chamber music, and also getting some input from bassists who are making chamber music central to their lives.

-Jeremy Kurtz

Our interview with Barry Kolstein, owner of the Kolstein Shop on Long Island, NY, is an interesting opportunity to learn about the bass business and how it has changed over the last half-century. Barry’s father Samuel entered the bass business in 1943, and Kolstein’s has been one of the major purveyors of instruments and accessories for the double bass ever since. This interview was co-hosted by John Grillo in 2008 for Contrabass Conversations.

Kolstein interview link

[From YouTube - Daniel Nix plays Bach Suite No.6]

Here are a few classic posts about learning an instrument, practicing, getting ready for music school, and other such topics (from 2006-2008):

• Fifteen Practicing Mistakes that Students Make – These are a handful of common pitfalls that I have seen my students make over the years, and getting going with my bass studio has turned my focus to the practice room and how students can achieve the best results as efficietly as possible and with the least amount of frustration possible.
• Nine Dynamite Practice Room Accessories – When it’s time to hit the woodshed and do some serious practicing, there are a handful of no-brainer items that everyone needs–instrument, music, and music stand. Adding a few extra tools into the mix can make for much more productive and enjoyable practice sessions, however.
• Top 7 Considerations for Music School Applicants – Applying to music school? Think about the following points during the application process–they’re in order of most important to least important (in my opinion, at least).
• Advice for Aspiring Music Performance Majors – Musicians are often lured into university performance programs without a full understanding of what their odds of success are in the music business or what kind of a track record the institution they are investigating has. This article serves as a reality check for prospective music performance students and offer statistical evidence on what schools actually place classical music performers in full-time jobs.
• You Can’t Teach Professionally and Perform Professionally – Misperceptions on Both Sides of the Divide – Encouraging undergraduates to develop their instrumental craft to the highest degree possible is a value not shared by all educators. This article discusses common attitudes found among music educators and music performers and dissects problems resulting from these contrary viewpoints.

http://doublebassblog.org/2008/01/duets-with-er-yourself.html

We’re featuring an interview with double bassist Jiri Slavik on Contrabass Conversations this week. Jiri is an extremely accomplished bassist in both jazz and classical styles, as you can see from his biography below, and he gave a truly mesmerizing performance at the 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention. This interview took place just as Jiri was about to leave for Europe, and I feel fortunate to have gotten the chance to chat with him on his first visit to the United States!

After the interview, we feature a track titled “Coesistenza” from Jiri’s album Repose. This track also features pianist Fred Thomas (iTunes link). Learn more about Jiri at myspace.com/jirislavikmusic.

About Jiri:

Jiri Slavik was born in Havirov, Czech Republic, into a teacher’s family with a strong musical tradition. As a child he played the violin, which he exchanged for the double bass around age 13. A year later he moved to Rome, Italy, where he attended St Stephen’s School and eventually also the Santa Cecilia Conservatoire (Massimo Giorgi’s double bass class). In the summer of 2004 he graduated from both of these institutions, always with the highest attainable marks (the seven-year long double bass course at the conservatoire took him three years to finish).

After having been offered a full scholarship from the Royal Academy of Music, Jiri moved to London, UK, to pursue his studies, first in classical double bass with Duncan McTier, later on in jazz composition with Barak Schmool. After three years he finished the four years long programme with “First Class Honours”.

Since August 2007 he lives as a freelance musician and a composer in Paris, France. He has attended masterclasses under the direction of jazz celebrities such as Dave Holland, Jeff „Tain“ Watts, Larry Grenadier, Jeff Ballard, Kenny Wheeler or contemporary music authorities like Pierre Laurent-Aimard or Peter Maxwell Davies. During his years at the Academy he was the first double bassist of the Concert Orchestra under the direction of Colin Davis or a chosen soloist at the Paganini Festival (2006). With the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris he played Bach’s St Matthew Passion in the Notre Dame or performed in the Théâtre des Champs-Elyseés.

As a soloist he has appeared in the Santa Cecilia hall of the auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome or in a program of the Czech Television Koncert na kurtech. With pianist Fred Thomas he made two live recordings for the Czech Radio, as well as the album Repose (F-IRE label, London). His music is in an independant German film production “Oury Jalloh” (www.ouryjalloh-derfilm.de), which won the German Human Rights Film prize, category amateur film, for 2008.

We’re featuring composer and bassist P. Kellach Waddle on this week’s Contrabass Conversations episode. Actually, we have chatted about doing an interview since 2007, and we got a chance to do so at the 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention. P. Kellach Waddle has had a great deal of recognition as a composer, and he has written numerous works for solo bass or featuring the bass in a prominent role. I think you’ll really enjoy this interview we did back in June!

We’re also featuring P. Kellach Waddle performing his own composition “Sonata in Two Movements” for solo bass after the interview segment.

About P. Kellach Waddle:

Two time Pulitzer-Prize nominated composer P. Kellach Waddle maintains an active career not only as a composer but also as a bassist, conductor and writer. With nearly 450 performances of his music by the end of the ’05-’06 season, and a list of completed works now numbering over 220 , Mr. Waddle continues to maintain a career as one of the most performed and prolific composers of his generation. His works have been performed in 38 states and in 14 countries on 4 continents and radio features/interviews with him have been heard on classical radio stations in Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee and Ohio. A performance by Mr. Waddle of his Op. 1 #1, the bass caprice De Salones Espanoles, marked the first hearing of his music on National Public Radio as part of its Music From Roundtop Series in 1993.

Complete bio for P. Kellach Waddle

Other links:

Main Publicity: www.wyattbrandf.com Auxiliary Publicity: www.axiosstudios.com Other Recordings: www.classicallounge.com

About Steve:

Steve LaSpina has been a prominent bassist on the New York and national scene for over twenty years.   During that time, he has played and recorded with many great musicians in jazz history. He was a regular band member, toured and recorded with saxophonists Benny Carter, Stan Getz and Phil Woods, vocalists Joe Williams and Mark Murphy, trumpeters Clark Terry, Chet Baker and Randy Brecker, and guitarist Pat Martino. He has spent the last decade traveling around the world and recording with the legendary guitarist Jim Hall, has appeared on six of his recordings, including These Rooms featuring Tom Harrell.

Steve performs on a Wan Bernadel bass from the String Emporium, which is a sponsor for doublebassblog.org and Contrabass Conversations. We thank the String Emporium for their continued sponsorship and encourage folks to check out their instruments (they also have good deals on bows) if they like what they hear from Steve in the following video:

Video Download Link (266 MB)

[From YouTube - Rachmaninoff Vocalise]