CBC 62: Opera Excerpt Breakdown with John Grillo

This week’s Contrabass Conversations episode features an in-depth analysis of the double bass opera excerpts most commonly requested at auditions. Double bassist (and regular Contrabass Conversations guest and co-host) John Grillo discusses each of these excerpts–stylistic considerations, differences in articulation and bow strokes, and suggestions for effectively learning them–and then performs them. We believe that this project will be a highly valuable resource for bassists worldwide, and we’d love your feedback on this project!

John and I created an excerpt breakdown for the most commonly requested orchestra excerpts back on CBC 41, and this has proven to be a highly popular and extremely useful resource to double bassists worldwide. Our hope is that this opera excerpt episode will do the same for the less familiar but wonderfully challenging double bass operatic literature.

Learn more about John at his new blog ClassicalMusicNews.tv, and check out all of his older Contrabass Conversations appearances here. You can also check out John in recital on his doublebassblog.org recital page.

Opera excerpts covered on this episode:

  • Strauss
    • Salome
    • Rosenkavalier
  • Wagner
    • Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
    • Die Walküre
  • Britten
    • Peter Grimes
  • Verdi
    • Otello
    • Rigoletto
    • Falstaff
  • Weber
    • Euryanthe
  • Mozart
    • Magic Flute
    • Marriage of Figaro
  • Beethoven
    • Fidelo
  • Humperdinck
    • Hansel and Gretel

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.