saw the aso perform beethoven's 9th this weekend.

[john turner]

heya guys

i went to the season opener of the atlanta symphony this past weekend, beethoven's 9th was the showcase piece. wow, what a workout the db section had with that one, especially the ode to joy. i never realized what a difficult that piece was for the bass, or the fact that the first section to play the "ode" theme was the bass section, with the cellos.

all in all it was a great show. wonder if any aso members frequent the forums

[TBDBassman]

I'm a huge fan of that bass part from Beethoven's 9th (Ode to Joy). That's the biggest reason I began playing double bass.

[KSB - Ken Smith]

Yes, that Ode is a number alright but the Presto before the 'Ode' section is the difficult part of the movement because it has no tempo and you must memorize it so you can watch the conductor. The first movement has a lot of notes but nothing too hard. The Molto Vivace 3/4 conducted in 1 keeps you on your toes. When you get to the last movement fasten your seat belts. There are two 8-bar sections at light speed with two sextuplets. When you get to the last two pages you better have some stamina left in your bow hand not to mention your left hand. This is where it separates the Bass players.

This piece is 75 minutes without a break and 25 pages long!

The 9th piece got me to do things I have never done before. It was a real education. The famous 'Ode' part is just a 'pop tune' in comparison to the other things going on for the Bass.

Come to think of it, the 6th also had some parts that sent me back to school. I also used the same Bass for both concerts but used different Bows.

[ClassicalBass]

The recitative at the beginning of the Presto movement is one of my favorite orchestral selections. There are so many ways to interpret it, and it sounds fantastic. It's a lot of fun, even if it does appear in a lot of auditions. I'll never get tired of hearing it, singing it, or (of course) playing it.

[Don Higdon]

And you all know who composed the "Ode", don't you?