Music for Bass and Harp

“The double bass is the most hideous, clumsy and inelegant instrument that has ever been invented. It is the Quasimodo of the orchestra. [...] It is impossible to get anything beautiful out of it, if the word still has any meaning at all. None can do this, not even the greatest soloists”.

These words are given to the somewhat irascible protagonist of Patrick Süskind’s play The Double Bass, in which the alternation of delicious and obscure passages about his instrument can sometimes move us to the point of discomfort; this recording, however, takes a completely different tack. The union of double bass and harp creates a unique sound world; these pieces for the two instruments, originals as well as transcriptions, lead us on a gentle journey through several periods and countries. This highly varied panorama provides a mix of introspective works, using the genres of prayer, elegy, waltz, romance, tango, tarantella and meditation. The double bass departs from its traditional role and reminds us that it too is endowed with expressive qualities: it can sing and so not only evokes the worlds of opera and of ballet, but also voices an inner world of emotions.