BOTTESINI: Music for double bass & piano [CD de audio] Stefano Sciascia, David Giovanni Leonardi and Bottesini

Born in Crema, northern Italy, in 1821, Bottesini was not only a noted bassist and conductor, but also a successful composer whose prolific work included at least ten operas, as well as numerous sacred and orchestral works. However, his popularity today is mainly due to the wide range of pieces he wrote both concertos and solos for the bass. Fundamental to the instrument's repertoire, these works have been widely published and even appear on exam and conservatory syllabi around the world. Nicknamed the Paganini of the bass, Bottesini effectively exploited the technical possibilities of the instrument, which contributed to its history. His ability to understand his idiosyncrasies resulted in idiomatic writing that, combined with his passion for opera, is extremely lyrical, as evidenced in this recording, which perfectly captures the variety and style of his works for bass and piano. The album features, among others, popular arias by Bellini and Paisiello that contain wide-ranging cadence passages that demand mastery of the backstage and phenomenal control of the bow: here we find Bottesini the showman, and we are exposed to the bel canto style that was so intrinsic to opera at that time. Performed by the talented Stefano Sciascia and David Giovanni Leonardi, this is a feast of virtuoso display not to be missed, and reveals how the bass, an instrument not usually associated with the solo repertoire, is able to hold its own, and to great effect.