Wies de Boevé has a mission: to raise the profile of the double bass. To this end, he is performing the unknown work of an Italian composer as a soloist with the Conductors’ Academy.
"What interests me about the double bass is that it has been around for a long time, yet remains relatively unknown to this day, even in academic research. For example, the instrument is played with varying numbers of strings; bowing techniques differ; and the tunings and scale lengths are not always the same. I am committed to ensuring that the repertoire available to us becomes more widely known, both amongst students and amongst us bassists. And I would like to show our audience that the double bass has its place as a solo instrument.
Giovanni Bottesini was an Italian double bassist, conductor and composer who was active in the 19th century. His Double Bass Concerto in F-sharp minor is one such work that I’d like to promote, as until recently it had never been performed in public. ‘That has to change,’ I thought to myself, so I recorded it with the Brussels Philharmonic – and I also work on it time and again with my students at the Zurich University of the Arts. I want to show that it’s not just Bottesini’s more popular Concerto No. 2 in B minor that exists, but that he actually composed three double bass concertos. I actually consider the one in F-sharp minor, which I will be performing at the Conductors’ Academy, to be the better work. It’s also a lovely challenge for conductors, as Bottesini was a man of the opera and the music requires a flexible approach.
As a soloist, I’ll be taking the lead. As a principal bassist in the orchestra, on the other hand, I tend to play a supporting role, laying a foundation of rhythm, harmony and good tone. Through clear gestures, I try to engage my section, instil confidence in them and invite them to follow the music.”
