Artem Chirkov is the principal bassist of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and was the winner of the 2010 Bradetich International Double Bass Competition.
I got a chance to hear Artem play a wonderful recital while he was in San Francisco this March. Here’s a great shot of Artem and San Francisco Opera principal bassist Joe Lescher as they performed Passione Amorosa together.
I headed over to San Francisco Opera bassist and former podcast guest Shinji Eshima‘s place the next day to chat with Artem.
We had a great and wide-ranging conversation, covering topics like:
- the origins of Bassiona Amorosa, the group that Artem has been a part of for the past two decades
- the fact that Artem always plays on a borrowed bass
- how he does this and how it actually connects us together as bassists to do that
- the routine that Artem goes through to acquaint him with new basses
- how the bass as a solo instrument has evolved and challenges still facing the bass as a solo instrument
- learning how to feel the freedom in your playing
- music and its connection to culture
- bass not as religion but as relation (this is a great topic that happens near the end of our chat)
Links to Check Out:
- Artem’s recordings
- Impromptus of the Soul
- Bassiona Amorosa (bass ensembles)
- Reminiscence of the 20th Century
- Artem Chirkov LIVE in-studio performance (YouTube)
- Artem Master Class (YouTube)
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