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Double Bass Top 5 Orchestral Bassists

#144
you dont need solos to have good technique... thats why we play scales and arpejios right?? i dont mean to brag or anything but i play a lot of scales every day and also practice music for the orchestra and i have really good technique compared to other people my age that have been playing this long. hey maybe you will even see my name in a thread like is in 30 years??? jk jk :D

:bassist:
 
#145
FrostyBubba3455 said:
you dont need solos to have good technique... thats why we play scales and arpejios right?? i dont mean to brag or anything but i play a lot of scales every day and also practice music for the orchestra and i have really good technique compared to other people my age that have been playing this long. hey maybe you will even see my name in a thread like is in 30 years??? jk jk :D

:bassist:
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Solos do matter for technique, musicality, ear, pulse, and tone, if they didn't we wouldn't spend so much of our time as bassists playing them. In my practice regime (granted this is audition prep too) I play about 45 minutes of scales and arpeggios, 30 minutes of technique, 45 Minutes to an hour of excerpts and at least 2 hours on solos.
 
#146
Sadly, principals rarely post orchestral excerpts on youtube, I think this explains why this thread looks like a soloist thread.

There was a time, not so long ago, when the "solo of your choice" in an audition was sort of a "freebie", to get acquainted with the hall and so on. Those days are over.

I heard that in the last Cleveland Orchestra audition they heard the entire first movement of the concerto. This was unheard of in my college years, which was a mere 10 years ago.

The Winnipeg Symphony now provides piano accompaniment for auditions, this really surprised me too.

So, I think it will be increasingly difficult for players that are orchestral-only to get big jobs.
 
#147
Dr Rod said:
So, I think it will be increasingly difficult for players that are orchestral-only to get big jobs.
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Rod, this is a good thing in my opinion. A bass player shouldn't be just a machine, we have to prove that we're a musical entity every time we step on the stage. Playing concerto's as well as orchestral excerpts are an integral part of the development of the instrument. I don't need to preach to the converted but if you've seen the European (and especially Viennese) tradition of playing, all of the instrumentalists breathe and move together. From the perspective of an audience member this is extremely exciting and it actually brings some life to works. The big winners of major orchestral jobs are not guys that are one track minded. They obviously have the skill to express themselves soloistically as well as orchestrally.
 
#151
Calvin Marks said:
Rod, this is a good thing in my opinion. A bass player shouldn't be just a machine, we have to prove that we're a musical entity every time we step on the stage. Playing concerto's as well as orchestral excerpts are an integral part of the development of the instrument. I don't need to preach to the converted but if you've seen the European (and especially Viennese) tradition of playing, all of the instrumentalists breathe and move together. From the perspective of an audience member this is extremely exciting and it actually brings some life to works. The big winners of major orchestral jobs are not guys that are one track minded. They obviously have the skill to express themselves soloistically as well as orchestrally.
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I could not agree more Calvin, this is for sure a step forward.
 
#153
+1 on Hal Robinson by the way. He has the best concept of bass sound I've ever heard, ferocious power and an excitingly physical way of playing the bass. He is brilliant at crafting a product that is very intense and very controlled. His technique is excellent, his leadership skills and musicality are highly in demand, and he's also a hilarious Texas kind of guy.
Somehow this list of top orchestras left Philly out, which I'm surprised and a little sore over...maybe it has to do with direction of the orchestra?
 
#154
Dbass926 said:
Somehow this list of top orchestras left Philly out, which I'm surprised and a little sore over...maybe it has to do with direction of the orchestra?
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I was thinking the same thing. I was surprised to see San Francisco on the list but not Philly. I saw Dutoit conduct Philly at Carnegie Hall last year. One of the best concerts I've ever seen. Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin and The Planets. Incredible. I saw San Francisco last year too and they were pretty good but Philly is in another league.
 
#155
Thank you! I've been wating for someone to mention something about Philly too. I live in the suburbs of Philly; it's literally like 20 or 30 mintues away from my house. I go to see Philly Orch whenever I can, I just love them.
Though I don't know much about Hal personally, I do know his reputation and just seeing him play live makes me want to study with him so much. I'm aiming to get into Curtis when I start audtioning and applying in about a year, but I don't know if that will happen....There's always Peabody though, I can study with him there if I don't make Curtis, which I probably won't..
 
#157
mheintz said:
I have only heard them on the radio or CDs. Can you tell us about their playing, favorite recordings, your experience, etc...?

  • Alois Posch (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) Invalid Link Removed
  • Rainer Zeeperitz (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Zepperitz
  • Tom Martin (London Symphony Orchestra) Invalid Link Removed
  • Yasunori Kawahara (Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra)
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I did an interview last year with Yasunori Kawahara for the now-defunct Double Basisst Magazine, which I have posted Invalid Link Removed

Invalid Link Removed lives up the road from me, and since we work for the same employer, I have had the good fortune to hear him play a lot and take a couple of lessons—even though he usually does not teach.

I agree that he is extraordinary—he considers the composers' intentions and presents his bass playing in a very selfless way, always going for the most musical result with utmost technical precision.

As far as naming the "top five," I think players who work on a very high level do not spend a lot of time wondering if they are in the top 5, or the top 100 (I'm sure the 99th player on that list would also be beyond just good). They just play—really, really well.

And I am sure that the number 1 player on such a list—if there could ever be a consensus about who is number 1—would go home after a concert thinking that they could have played a certain passage somewhat better . . . that is one reason why they are so good.
 
#158
And I am sure that the number 1 player on such a list—if there could ever be a consensus about who is number 1—would go home after a concert thinking that they could have played a certain passage somewhat better . . . that is one reason why they are so good.[/QUOTE]

well put!!

I wish that Mr. Kawahara lived up the road from me.

it's so true that music never gets boring because of the constant striving for something better. the better you get the more there is to strive for and learn.
 

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