Here’s this month’s bass raffle topic–enter for a chance to win a free Upton Bass Solo Revolution pickup:
What concerto is the best choice for auditions…and why?
As with the previous raffles, you’ve got to write at least a couple of paragraphs to qualify. Just writing “Bottesini” doesn’t cut it. Also, you need to put in a valid email address in the comment field so that I can contact you if you win. Your email isn’t published on the site and I won’t do anything nefarious with it. Finally, only U.S. residents can qualify to win the pickup, though anyone is welcome to submit their concerto preference.
Leave your thoughts on the best audition concerto in the comment form below. Your comment will automatically enter you in the raffle (assuming that you meet the parameters outlined above).
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For me, the Bottesini is the ideal for showing a strong level of musicianship. As Bass players it is important for us to aim for a level which demonstrates a lyrical and beautiful quality which is perhaps still the most common misconception by non-bassists. (in my experience anyway).
Focusing on auditions, not general performance, i would say not to under estimate the worth of the 2nd Dittersdorf, which requires more of the skills an orchestral bass player needs. I mean in producing a strong, even, quality sound. Almost any bar of the concerto could appear in an orchestral bass part.(perhaps not the cheesy harmonics).
I would say, you can play whatever you want so long as you demonstrate those qualities, not merely the impressive acrobatics, and orchestral auditions are best played on big orchestral basses, not tiny little basses which are easier to play and don’t reflect what is required in an orchestral position.
Personal favourites:
Dittersdorf 2, Bottesini 2, Francaix and Kapustin
For an audition, I feel as though the judges would be looking for not only correct notes, rhythms, etc., but also an overall passion for a a piece of music. Playing the Koussevitsky Concerto is flashy, but expressive at the same time. Playing Koussevitzky shows that you know the full range of the double bass. Also, it’s a serious concerto that takes focus and determination to learn. The excitement of the piece can show you off as a nice addition to being a professional musician. Judges want to see something new and fresh to keep the world of music performance alive. With today’s technologies, we have to find new and creative ways of showing people what music performance is all about. Koussevitzky’s concerto has the ideal “wow” factor for such a thing.
I think the specific concerto is much less important than the way it’s played. Playing expressively, musically, and with good technique will show through on any concerto, whereas a lackluster performance on a great concerto won’t quite measure up. Ultimately players should choose a concerto that they like and feel like they can play musically.
That said, I’d like to submit the Capuzzi concerto. It’s been released in several keys, but my favorite is the edition in C major (though the D major version does require some very musical playing in the lower register that we use a lot in orchestra). It’s a very nice concerto, and I think that it shows off the bass well (especially the C major edition) while still giving plenty of opportunity for lyricism and expression.
I agree with Andrew’s assessment of the Dittersdorf Concerto. Not only can any part of it show up in the literature, there are parts of it, in particular the string crossings that show your mettle in the hardest of passages. In addition, I find the Koussevitzky and Bottesini much easier to elicit musicality from, where as the danger in the classical repertoire is in its ability to become very etude sounding. Demonstrating your knowledge of phrase and musicality in classical rep is a more daunting task. Also for me, I think maintaining that light classical sound while simultaneously exhibiting the bravura necessary for a concerto is more difficult than displaying the muscle in a romantic concerto. I think a committee can be impressed by that. In that vein, Vanhal would be my second choice. Of course in the end one should play what it is that best showcases their strengths as a player, romantic, classical or…whatever. In the end it would be any concerto that does just that.
This is a GREAT question! (although I believe you made a freudian slip asking for “the pest choice for auditions”. You most likely meant “Best” – but maybe not?!
Many music programs my daughter has looked at have a list of preferred pieces they suggest you choose from: Bottesini, Capuzzi, Dittersdorf, Dragonetti, Koussevitsky, Vanhal, Bach and Paganini are on most lists. She chose the Dragonetti. I like the Paganini (Moses Variations) myself.
The type of audition you are playing may be an important factor in this decision. As a music student in college, I just finished the student ‘audition circuit’ so I’m still thinking in that vein. At this level (high school and early college), I feel that musicality is just as important (or more so) than technical accuracy in an audition. My reasoning here, is that it’s a much easier matter to teach someone how to play fast and in tune than it is to teach them how to make a gorgeous arcing phrase, for example. (This is my personal experience, of course, and some may disagree).
That being said, I think a concerto that is well within your reach technically is the best choice. The Capuzzi is not excessively demanding, nor is the Dragonetti. I would recommend the Dragonetti first, because I think think it’s a little more fun, though it’s also more challenging. Then again, what concerto isn’t challenging? The bottom line is to pick something you can play musically. And hey: its almost summer, so just pick one and dive in head first!! What else are you going to do?
Why don’t we make this question a little more interesting…..what concerto is the best choice for a concerto competition? And when I say concerto competition, I mean all instruments are competing.
For an audition, one has to make sure that the required solo is a concerto, as opposed to a “solo of player’s choice”. many orchestras require a movement of solo Bach, in addition to a concerto movement, so that’s something else to keep prepared.
As to concertos, I have several I could play, and I have a few thoughts about selecting one for an audition.
I like the Capuzzi, but it seems to be one of the “easier” concertos, so it might not be the best choice for a big league orchestra. “Dragonetti” is also good, but it is almost certain that Dragonetti himself didn’t compose it! Would that count against it?
What does the list of excerpts look like? If there is a lot of Mozart-Beethoven type excerpts, perhaps a bravura piece like Bottesini #2 is a good choice to balance out the rest of the list. If however, we see a lot of Brahms-Strauss-Mahler on the list, a good classical concerto such as Vanhal or Ditteresdorf would work well.
Overall, though, my favourite is the Koussevitsky. It has the bravura, passionate elements, as well as the classical bits. I’m thinking of the double stop passage in particular in this regard.
I like to look at auditions, whether I win, lose, or draw, as a chance to play a mini recital. As Rabbath says, when you play, give your heart to the people!
What concerto is best for auditions?…..there is just one clear answer and that is….. the one that get you the job!
We all know from experience that audition panels look for different things on different occaisions.
Auditioning as a soloist is one thing but if the audition is for a solid orchestral player to join 7 more bassists in an open air concert for a piano concerto , intonation and impeccable timing are going to be more important than exuberance and fireworks and strings on fire with virtuoso passion ! (and it might be a good idea in this instance to show that you know the hard bass parts of the piano concerto !).
The bottom line is always going to be to match the music with the audition and show the panel musicianship relevant for the part.
Bearing in mind that you are only ever going to pick a short excerpt from any any peice of music in an audition scenario ,for me its about being good, memorable and different. So maybe the question is what musical fragments from the concerti that are out there will make you stand out?
Sure, most auditionees will grab something from the Bottesini No. 1 or No. 2 , or the Capuzzi in D, or the Koussevitzky, Dragonetti etc. They are all amazing peices and a great way to showcase talent and ability .Any of these might be the right peice for the right occaision…..
But if you have the choice to express yourself and pick any passage , why not give the panel an unexpected treat and veer away from the obvious and opt for passages from the Ji?í Hudec Burleska for double bass and orchestra (1981) or Gordon Jacobs Concerto for Double Bass (1972) or even the Nino Rota Divertimento Concertante for double bass and orchestra (1968–1973). They all have technially challenges and are musically really interesting for any panel especially maybe quite refreshing after listening to several equally good renditions of the Bottesini !
who won?