Forgotten by all but concert double-basists, Bottesini was the most renowned soloist and composer on that instrument in the nineteenth century. An Italian from Lombardy, he worked variously in America, Cuba and England. Much of his music sounds like Brahms or Schumann, and not much of it is strikingly original, but most of it is quite pretty. I have twelve pieces, ten ot them slight [an Allegretto Capriccio, an Allegro di Concerto “Alla Mendelssohn” , a Bolero, a Capriccio di Bravura, three Elegies, an Introduction and Gavotte, a Melodia, and a Rêverie, all for Double Bass and Piano]. Two more are fairly serious works. The Concerto #2 in B Minor would be well known if it was for cello. It’s as good as many cello concertos in standard repertoire. Best of all is his Gran Duo Concertante for Violin and Double Bass, which was originally scored for two basses. It is an intelligent work, and I suspect that I would prefer it in its original form. However, the version with violin seems to be the only one available.
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