Search - Joel Quarrington, Andrew Burashko :: Bottesini;Music for Double Bass & Piano Vol.1

Buy this CD

02/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am baffled at the conclusions of an earlier reviewer, for reasons of both historical innacuracy as musical ignorance. It is, first of all, a relatively modern idea that the bass must be tuned solely in fourths. The instrument, a descendent of the extinct "bass violion" (not the violone as is commonly misconcieved) was originally tuned in fifths, and players such as Dragonetti often experimented with their tunings. Regardless, this is still a bass--by tuning in fifths Quarrington has created such a sound more beautiful than Karr, Badila, or Levinson (ugh) could ever achieve. Secondly, music is not history, and therefore is not bound by "historical correctness." How can progress (like the music Joel has published here) ever be made without altering precendents? Joel often uses the solo tuning key (the key Bottesini intended)anyway--it is actually "incorrect" to play the music in orchestra tuning, if such a distintion must be made. My point is that this is the new level of bass playing. Buy this cd."

Virtuosic however flawed

A scottish bassist | UK | 07/06/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Taking nothing away from Joel, this CD is technically as close to perfection as one could wish for. His playing has a warm appealing tone.However, it's not a TRUE bass sound is it?, after all, he plays on an instrument tuned in 5ths, not 4ths, and this results in the need to alter the key of the music - meaning it isn't historically correct.Virtuoso bassists such as Badila, Levinson and the great Gary Karr play these pieces much more convincingly, and much more musically, and although they may not appear on the cheap labels, they are a worthwile find.Take my advice, if you want to be stunned by the bass, buy the Badila recording of Bottesini/Tchaikovsky, not this!"

Is just a matter of tunning?

octavio arese | Argentina | 04/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think that double bass technique is much more wide than a change of tunning, specially if you think that (for example)the 90% of the Elegie in D is played in ONLY ONE string. I think that other technical matters(Bow driving, fingering, vibrato)and musical matters(knowledge of Bottesini's language in relation to the instrument's possibilities) allow performers to make the audience forget about the instrument and enyoy this pure, simple and passioned music. This was what Bottesini did in his time; he could SING whith his instrument. Bottesini's playing was very close to "Belle Canto Italiano", he was a lover of the opera (his mother was a soprano and he was a close friend of Giusseppe Verdi). In my opinion Rinat Ibragimov is who is closest to this human, warm, passioned voice. I think that we must listen to all versions of Bottesini's works and discuse about these matters. Thanks."