Bosch: Virtuoso Double Bass Volume 1

‘I have no doubt that the double bass and I were made for each other - we’re completely inseparable and the music we make together brings me unbridled joy! It has always been my mission in life to defend the cause of the underdog and my passion for the double bass, the ‘Cinderella’ of instruments, will never die. Every note I play on the instrument embraces my life experiences, both in Europe and in my South African homeland. I’ve known love and comradeship, but also witnessed the epitome of hatred. I’ve felt both shining optimism and deep despair. I’ve benefited from the pleasures of civilized society, but also seen the destructive impact of poverty and ignorance. I’ve been privileged to stand side by side with people who’ve lost their lives in the defense of their principles. It’s difficult to explain exactly how life’s experiences distil into your music-making, but they most certainly do. First you have to face the fact that playing well is 98% perspiration – all the hard work that’s done in private. But then, when the day of the performance arrives, you’re looking to access that other, magical 2%, which is all about freedom and spontaneity – improvisation, almost. And what you have to draw on is the story of your life – in feelings, emotions and colors. What you hope is that thereby you link to the mind of the composer. No phrase, or even a single note, should be allowed to pass by perfunctorily …it’s the performer’s solemn duty to seek to understand what the composer intended and then to express that unique personal understanding as if one’s very life depended upon it. What is the point otherwise? When I play the bass at least, I am a totally free human spirit.’

Read an interview about Leon Bosch’s recording project at Leon Bosch Interview

Track list:

Giovanni Bottesini
1. Elegy
2. Tarantella
3. Romanza Patetica (Melodie)
4. Gavotta
5. Reverie
6. Meditazione (Aria di Bach)
7. Fantasie Sonnambula
8. Romanza Drammatica (Elegie)
9. Adagio par Ernst
10. Capriccio di Bravura