240: Thierry Barbé on expressive music, German bow, and French basses

Thierry Barbe

Thierry Barbé is a man in constant motion.

When he’s not performing as principal bass of the Paris National Opera or teaching at the Paris Conservatory, Thierry can be found in all corners of the globe, performing lesser-known gems from the bass repertoire and giving clinics along the way.

He is a technical synthesizer, pulling from many different schools of playing, even incorporating German bow into his bag of techniques.

Thierry is a pioneer in uniting the European double bass community.  He organized the first European Bass Conference in 2008 and started the European Society of Bassists shortly after that.

He also has a new CD/DVD, which are must-haves for any bassist.  It’s available from the Triton label and as an MP3 download on Amazon.

Best of all, Thierry is a warm and caring person who brightens the day of anyone he runs into.  I had the good fortune to work with him on the International Society of Bassists board a few years ago, and he brought a marvelous energy to the organization.

Check out the full interview using the audio player, and subscribe to the podcast to get interviews delivered to your inbox or device automatically!

Resources we covered in this interview:

Thierry’s website

Thierry’s YouTube channel

French Impressions on Amazon (MP3 download)

order the DVD

French Impressions – CD/DVD on Triton

By Jason

An active double bass performer and teacher, Jason teaches double bass at DePaul University and served on the Board of Directors of the International Society of Bassists for many years. Jason is the current President of the Illinois chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Jason has been a member of the Elgin Symphony since 2000 and has played with the Midsummer’s Music Festival in Door County for the past decade. He is a past member of the Milwaukee Ballet and IRIS Orchestra, and has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Symphony, and numerous other professional ensembles.