Non-traditional Concertos

[barfle]

I understand you're a bass player. I know of a concerto written by Lalo Schiffrin for the bass, but don't know if it's ever been recorded. Do you know of other concerti for the bass? Does Beethoven.com have any in their collection?<P>How about concertos for other non-traditional instruments? Saxophone, tuba, bassoon, harmonica, etc.? I have a CD of harmonica concertos that's fascinating (Chandos 9248) but I have a lot of trouble locating such unusual stuff. Of course, that's what I have to expect for having such unusual tastes!

[Nicole Marie]

Hi Barfle-<P>I don't know the Schiffrin piece. I've been digging around since you peeked my interest but I have not been able to find anything on the piece. <P>As for individual bass music, anything from double bass composers Koussevitsky and Dragonetti is a must for us. The music from these two composers are what you strive for as a double bassist.<P>As for Concerti for the double bass...tons of music has been written for the bass, solo, quartets etc. And Beethoven.com has in the library some double bass music since I brought the CD's in. <P>A site I live by is <A HREF="http://www.lemurmusic.com" TARGET=_blank>www.lemurmusic.com</A> they have everything for us double bassists...music, instruments, bows. You can also get a complete list of all music written for the bass. <P>Each instrument has music that shows off the instruments ability. Since I don't play the tuba or any of the other instruments you asked about, then I don't know any titles. But Chris Larsen our Web Master plays the tuba! And he said a piece he enjoys is called "Tuba Tiger Rag"! You might want to find that.<P>If you want to find music for other instruments, start with your local music school library. Music schools are filled with tons of great music that is hard to find in CD stores. You can spend hours getting lost in the CD collections!

[barfle]

Nicole Marie, thanks so much for the information. I never thought of music schools as a source for recordings but it's a great idea. <P>As far as the Schiffrin piece, I saw it performed by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra back in the days when I really hadn't had much exposure to the orchestra. That would put it about 15 years ago. Of course, I knew of Lalo Schiffrin from his "Mission Impossible" television show theme, so I remembered his name. He also conducted the piece. Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the soloist, but we saw him on a PBS show about a year later. He was very humorous and in both performances (live and TV) he played a piece by a composer who he described as having an unpronouncable name, then made a loud gutteral noise. I hope this is meaningful to you, it reads back as the rantings of an aging hippie.<P>One thing I remember distinctly from the piece, on two occasions the bassist <I>strummed</I> the instrument. In my mind, it was an experiment that didn't work, but it was interesting.<P>By all means, I'd love to hear some of the works you've brought in for the double bass.<p>[ 12-20-2001: Message edited by: barfle ]

[rqgrandad]

Since I am a newcomer to Ludwig's Lounge, I<BR>am not aware of whether the Concerto for Bass Tuba and Orchestra by Ralph Vaughn Williams has been discussed. It is a very fine display piece for that instrument and is on an RCA Gold Seal CD which features John Fletcher as the soloist with Andre Previn conducting the London SO. The concerto is coupled with the 5th Symphony and three portraits from "The England of Elizabeth" by this composer. In my opinion, RVW is one of the few composers whose music can bring comfort to a troubled soul in a time of crisis; two distinct examples are the Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis and the exquisite third movement of the aforementioned symphony. But I stray from the topic. The concerto is an interesting conversation piece, and<BR>the playing is excellent.

[EJA]

piqued<BR>