New York Phil. German/French switch hitter?

[mheintz]

I went to see Shostakovich 7 and Mitsuko Uchida playing Beethoven. Really an amazing performance. Uchida gave probably the most perfect performance that I have ever seen. But I saw something extremely strange... the fifth (?) chair bassist played a German bow, but on occasion during Shostakovich switched to a French style grip. Am I crazy? My seats were decent and I swear that he switched.

[Chasarms]

My teacher, a pro SO player, can play either grip on either kind of bow with excellent tone and control.

Once you get the feel for the bow, I don't think the two are as drastically different as many suppose.

[mheintz]

Originally Posted by Chasarms

My teacher, a pro SO player, can play either grip on either kind of bow with excellent tone and control.

Once you get the feel for the bow, I don't think the two are as drastically different as many suppose.

I've seen some talented pros that can get a decent sound, but I haven't seen any with the perfection that they demand of themselves for concerts. (Indeed, during classes with one enormously talented pro, the French players would wince a bit, when the pro switch hit from German to French.) The NY player also switched during some particularly difficult sections of the 7th. They hadn't recorded the piece since 2000 and the 7th wasn't even on the original schedule. The original conductor became ill, so they put this program together on short notice. Then again, I suppose after 30 years in the section, you have to find some way to entertain yourself.