Any orchestral works/recordings with a nice contrabass part you like or recommend? Thanks ladies and gents.
The bass drum in the Seattle Symphony Orchestra / Gerard Schwarz recording of David Diamond's Symphony No. 2 goes incredibly low, and it's fabulous. It's in the secondary theme of the first movement, which begins at 6:08. The bass drum comes in when the theme gets going (the bass drum thwacks begin at 6:33). On a good hi-fi it sounds amazing.
https://www.youtube.com/v/O0L2sWcL9-Q
The organ at the end of Holst's "Saturn" in the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal / Charles Dutoit recording is unbelievably wonderful. You can hear it from 8:04 onwards.
https://www.youtube.com/v/v7hFdGnwH1E
Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on November 18, 2022, 02:40:07 PM
Any orchestral works/recordings with a nice bass part you like or recommend? Thanks ladies and gents.
Are you asking about the contrabass instrument (sometimes called 'bass') or just generally the bass register?
Quote from: KevinP on November 18, 2022, 04:16:52 PM
Are you asking about the contrabass instrument (sometimes called 'bass') or just generally the bass register?
I took it to mean the low-end of the frequency spectrum.
Quote from: KevinP on November 18, 2022, 04:16:52 PM
Are you asking about the contrabass instrument (sometimes called 'bass') or just generally the bass register?
Contrabass please. Thank you for the question, and I edited my question accordingly.
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on November 18, 2022, 04:19:53 PM
I took it to mean the low-end of the frequency spectrum.
The videos look very interesting. I will check them out tomorrow!
As far as contrabass goes, I like the "Vivo" movement of Stravinsky's Pulcinella which features a very frisky double-bass:
https://www.youtube.com/v/r9rRqufXM74
I like to see them earn their pay with the millions of notes at the end of Part 1 of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
https://youtu.be/EkwqPJZe8ms?t=913
There is a section in the slow movement of Prokofiev's Third Symphony which features the Contrabass section: I believe they play into the treble clef.
The Skalkottas Contrabass Concerto.
Dragonetti: Double-Bass Concerto (Gary Karr, contrabass; Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin / Uros Lajovic)
https://www.youtube.com/v/ABDReZi-2Wg
The famous conductor Serge Koussevitzky played the Contrabass and composed a concerto for the instrument:
https://www.youtube.com/v/Wff6EHafJoo
This is a classic, of course:
https://www.youtube.com/v/RXoJJbtmO9M
Fun:
https://www.youtube.com/v/tjiDzScO1aU
https://www.youtube.com/v/PGZOCrWVcTs
Also
https://www.youtube.com/v/2OjCzNeFuBo
https://www.youtube.com/v/IBCh1tLfCtI
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on November 18, 2022, 07:56:36 PM
As far as contrabass goes, I like the "Vivo" movement of Stravinsky's Pulcinella which features a very frisky double-bass:
https://www.youtube.com/v/r9rRqufXM74
Yes sounds nice. I have the album and I like it a lot.
Quote from: relm1 on November 19, 2022, 05:18:25 AM
I like to see them earn their pay with the millions of notes at the end of Part 1 of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.
https://youtu.be/EkwqPJZe8ms?t=913
Sounds very good. I like the recordings by Dorati, Lenny, etc.
I like the exposed entrance of the contrabasses in the trio of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Scherzo.
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on November 18, 2022, 03:11:00 PM
The bass drum in the Seattle Symphony Orchestra / Gerard Schwarz recording of David Diamond's Symphony No. 2 goes incredibly low, and it's fabulous. It's in the secondary theme of the first movement, which begins at 6:08. The bass drum comes in when the theme gets going (the bass drum thwacks begin at 6:33). On a good hi-fi it sounds amazing.
https://www.youtube.com/v/O0L2sWcL9-Q
Nice symphony by the excellent composer. Yes the part in question sounds dynamic!
:)quote author=Cato link=topic=32092.msg1481891#msg1481891 date=1668953622]
The famous conductor
Serge Koussevitzky played the Contrabass and composed a concerto for the instrument:
https://www.youtube.com/v/Wff6EHafJoo
[/quote]
Wow, impeccable intonation. Nice composition too.
Quote from: Peter Power Pop on November 19, 2022, 09:12:20 PM
Dragonetti: Double-Bass Concerto (Gary Karr, contrabass; Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin / Uros Lajovic)
https://www.youtube.com/v/ABDReZi-2Wg
Interesting, totally doublebass-centered, music! Nice performance.
Quote from: Dry Brett Kavanaugh on November 21, 2022, 08:45:29 AM
Nice symphony by the excellent composer. Yes the part in question sounds dynamic!
:)quote author=Cato link=topic=32092.msg1481891#msg1481891 date=1668953622]
The famous conductor Serge Koussevitzky played the Contrabass and composed a concerto for the instrument:
https://www.youtube.com/v/Wff6EHafJoo
Wow, impeccable intonation. Nice composition too.
Interesting, totally doublebass-centered, music! Nice performance.
Quote from: pjme on November 20, 2022, 06:34:22 AM
This is a classic, of course:
https://www.youtube.com/v/RXoJJbtmO9M
Fun:
https://www.youtube.com/v/tjiDzScO1aU
https://www.youtube.com/v/PGZOCrWVcTs
Also
https://www.youtube.com/v/2OjCzNeFuBo
https://www.youtube.com/v/IBCh1tLfCtI
The tone of basses for the Britten and the Elephant are woody and gorgeous. The Berio sounds interesting. The intro sounds like modern jazz. The Martinsson is an excellent composition. I like it. I will look for a recording.
Just received this new release - no idea what the piece is like!
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61xwDFTZJRL._AC_SX679_.jpg)
UPDATE: TREMENDOUS disc - the doublebass concerto is good and very well-played but its the symphony that is the "main feature" here
Google "Bottesini Naxos".
Every contrabass concerto I've heard has struck me as a novelty piece. I find myself more impressed with skillful use of the contrabass in an orchestral setting. Another passage of Beethoven comes to mind, the sixth symphony where the contrabasses have a dramatic exposed part in the middle (development) section of the first movement. I remember them as sounding colossal in Karajan's 70's recording on DG.