Contrabass Conversations

We’re featuring a live performance of the Concerto for Bass Viol (sheet music link) by John Harbison. This piece was co-commissioned by 15 different orchestras and universities, all of which did a premiere of the work with their principal bassist or bass faculty member. This co-commissioning process was coordinated through the International Society of Bassists, and it is undoubtedly a model which will be frequently used in the future, as it is one of the most effective ways to commission a work from a “big-name” composer.

Here’s the complete performance of the concerto, with each individual movement being performed by one of the participants in the commission/premiere process. I was recording this on my Flip Mino cam at the very back of the hall (not ideal), so bear with the less than stellar video and enjoy this valuable addition to the double bass repertoire:

• mvt 1: Dennis Trembly (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
• mvt 2: Volkan Orhon (Universiy of Iowa – click here for his perf. at U of Iowa)
• mvt 3: Scott Best (Memphis Symphony)

(Video Download Link 146 MB)

By the way, the piano reduction and bass part for this work are available if you’re interested in performing it on a recital!

We’ll also be featuring a video detailing the commissioning process, and we’ve got an interview with Scott Best (who performed the third movement on this video) coming up. Stay tuned!

Double bassist Dean Ferrell is a performer that you’ve got to see to believe. Putting a label on what Dean does in simply impossible–the best I can do is to call his performances historically informed alternate tuning performance art.

Dean did an hour-long performance at the 2007 ISB Convention featuring music from Captain Tobias Hume. This year’s performance is titled “Ode to Per Questa.” Enough said–check it out (approx. 45 minutes):

Video Download Link (276 MB)

I have another half-dozen or so videos of Dean that I recorded on another occasion during this past convention, and I’ll be putting them out over the next few weeks as well.

 

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We’re featuring Gary Karr, one of the all-time most influential double bassists, on Contrabass Conversations today. Hearing Gary Karr on record was a defining experience for me in my youth (as was the case for bassists worldwide), and hearing him live remains one of my most memorable double bass performances of all time.

The complete audio version of this video is available through the media player at contrabasssconversations.com (at the top of this post) and through the podcast feed for subscribers. You can watch the complete video below (1 hr 40 min) or download it through the following link:

• An Afternoon With Gary Karr – Barry Lieberman and Friends – download (667 MB)

This video is a magnificent tribute to Gary Karr. University of Washington bass professor Barry Lieberman interviews Gary as they listen (along with an enthusiastic audience) to recordings from various stages of Barry’s career. The video concludes with a performance from Gary and pianist Harmon Lewis, a rare treat from this retired duo.

Lear more about Gary Karr at his website garykarr.com, and learn more about Barry Lieberman and his project featuring arrangements of great chamber music that include the double bass at theamericanstringproject.com. We’ll also be releasing this complete video in segments on YouTube, so feel free to search for it there as well. Enjoy, and stay tuned next week for the first segment of our interview with Barry Lieberman, which will feature performances from The American String Project.

 

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We’re featuring a video episode of double bassist Guy Tuneh on this week’s episode of Contrabass Conversations. Guy has been featured many times on the podcast in the past, and it’s a real pleasure to hear his fine playing again on the show. This episode is being released in both audio and video versions. You can check out our previous episodes featuring Guy Tuneh in our archives.

We’re also featuring listener feedback, bass news, a link of the week, and much more. Enjoy!

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The outstanding double bassist Guy Tuneh (www.guytuneh.com) performs an excerpt of the fourth movement from Mendelssohn’s Sextet in D Major with Villa Musica. Listen to Guy Tuneh in interview on his Contrabass Conversations page, and check out more videos from him here.

 

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The outstanding double bassist Guy Tuneh (www.guytuneh.com) performs the third movement Sextet in D Major with Villa Musica. Listen to Guy Tuneh in interview to his Contrabass Conversations page, and check out more videos from him here.

Jason thanks readers, listeners, and viewers for being a part of the Bass Blog and Contrabass Conversations in 2007, and double bass virtuoso Guy Tuneh (www.guytuneh.com) plays excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations.

 

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Jason chats about a very entertaining stand partner he works with, plus offers some advice for keeping relations with your colleagues cordial in the orchestral environment.

 

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Iowa City double bass luthier Chris Thelkreld-Wiegend recently brought a new bass he had completed to Chicago for folks to check out. It’s a small bass–more like a 5/8 size than a 3/4 size, which is an interesting departure for Chris. I share my thoughts on this new bass in this short clip (1 min 40 sec).

Learn more about Chris and his basses by visiting www.heartlandsbs.com.

 

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The outstanding double bassist Guy Tuneh (www.guytuneh.com) performs the second movement Sextet in D Major with Villa Musica. Listen to Guy Tuneh in interview to his Contrabass Conversations page, and check out more videos from him here.