Poems of Love and Death

The double bass is not often thought of as a vocal instrument. Yet it has been my experience that audiences respond warmly to hearing the double bass sing.

This is a program of French music about the two well-known sides of love: the happy one and the sad one. The pieces are mainly originally for voice, but also for violin or cello; I transcribed them for double bass solo and ensemble (from 4 to 25 musicians).

Why Transcription?
Transcription creates a new point of view about a piece, and new sounds never heard. In life, we obtain richer knowledge and feeling about a subject when we can see it from as many different angles as possible. A new transcription, a new way to play a piece will give us the opportunity to penetrate even deeper into the composer’s mind, into the essence of the music, and sometimes to discover unexpected treasures and emotions. I would like to discover new pieces, which suit the
double bass fantastically—that open the repertoire and that show a new and unique sound. As a melodic instrument with a deep voice, the double bass is a wonderful medium to sing and express contrasting human moods. This allows the audience to experience an original way of listening to familiar music, as well as an original way to hear the double bass, a solo instrument that is still gaining recognition.

Download sample programs: (ENG)
Download program notes: (ENG)

Videos from a live performance in New York, January 2013
Double bass: Rémy D Yulzari
Conductor: Karina Canellakis
Narrator: Denise Massé