Double Bass Ligeti Cello Sonata?

[Mark_T]

I ran across Gyorgi Ligeti's cello sonata recently and was wondering if the slow movement might be playable on the double bass. Has anyone tried it?

I think some of the double stops or pizz notes might be hard to get, but maybe some approximation might be workable.

 

[dleecountdown]

I heard Matt Haimovitz play it live and speak about the process of learning it while Ligeti worked with him. At points throughout the second movement Matt claimed that he thought it was impossible to play on the cello!!

I believe Ligeti thought approximation was appropriate for some of his pieces but I don't think the cello sonata was one of them. I just love the way the first movement sounds on cello so I personally would not try to transcribe it for bass.