The so-called "Paganini of the Double Bass," Giovanni Bottesini did more for the advancement of the image and repertoire of the double bass than any composer before him. In fact, many of his compositions are only now beginning to make appearances in concert and recital halls. This album, featuring bassist
Thomas Martin and the
English Chamber Orchestra, offers listeners a pleasing combination of familiar works, as well as lesser known pieces. The CD opens with the Gran Duo Concertante for violin, double bass, and orchestra (which originally appeared as a duo for two double basses).
Martin, who has spent the majority of his performance career as an orchestral bassist, excels in areas necessary for orchestral playing: precise intonation and rhythmic integrity. Regrettably, his sound quality and projection are also indicative of an orchestral bassist; it is often very difficult to hear
Martin at all unless he's playing completely by himself. This is truly a shame because so many aspects of
Martin's playing are precisely what this music needs to make it interesting; yet these qualities are of little value if you can't hear them. The same difficulty arises in the Duetto for Clarinet and Double Bass. The final work on the program is the Gran Concerto in F-sharp minor. Here, with no secondary solo instrument with which to compete,
Martin's performance is more frequently audible. Even when playing with the very sensitive dynamics of the
English Chamber Orchestra, however,
Martin's sound fails to stand out when playing along with the orchestra.