Giovanni Bottesini (Dec. 22, 1821 - July 7, 1889) was an Italian conductor, composer, and double bass virtuoso, born in to a musical family. Young Bottesini learned much about music from his father, a clarinetist, and was playing timpani with an orchestra at the tender age of 11. He also played violin, and intended to study at the Milan Conservatory, but the his family was too poor to send him. The only instruments available for scholarship were the bassoon and double bass, and in a matter of weeks, Bottesini prepared a successful audition on the double bass. In just a few years he won a prize for his solo playing, and was dubbed the "Paganini of the Double Bass". Bottesini would go on to play in opera orchestras, and also had a successful conducting career as well.

As a composer, his contributions to the double bass repertoire are invaluable and significant. His operatic style of writing combined with his mastery of the bass make for works are both musically and technically very challenging, intriguing, and beautiful. His Duo Concertante for Violin and Bass was written around 1880, and was actually for two double basses. Camillo Sivori, a student of Paganini, arranged one of the parts for violin, and that is how it is most commonly played today.  Around 15 minutes of so, this piece is full of musical acrobatics for both parts, including numerous double stops and octaves, and harmonics. The musical style is rich and romantic with lines worthy of an opera--unsurprising, given Bottesini's involvement in playing in opera orchestras, and conducting them as well. This is as difficult a work to play as it is enjoyable to listen to!

Here are some recordings of this wonderful work for you to enjoy!

Christiane Stotijn
DaXun Zhang