Donat Zamiara - 3 Pieces from the Last Century for Double Bass Solo (2023)

Hans Fryba (24 April 1899 – 3 January 1986) – an Austrian composer and double bassist. He graduated in Vienna in the double bass class of Eduard Madenski. He continued his instrumental career, performing with orchestras such as the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of Megaron Mousikis. Due to his outstanding performance skills, Fryba requires similar virtuosity from the instrumentalist in his compositions. Despite the fact that his work includes only three pieces for double bass, each of them contains an individual compositional feature and a number of technical and musical difficulties. To this day, the most frequently performed work is the Old Style Suite, which, also due to its sound qualities, is often performed during international double bass competitions.

The Old Style Suite (1954) is a composition for solo double bass consists of six contrasting parts. As the name suggests, the piece is undoubtedly inspired by J. S. Bach’s cello suites, which are the basis for instrumentalists to build their performance and technical skills. Suite is a composition especially designed for experienced and technically advanced double bass players due to the challenges faced by the performer. Numerous passages and variable rhythms are combined with lyrical narration.

Through such a combination, in order to achieve the effect composed by Fryba, the performer cannot present his technical skills, forgetting about the singing of the instrument.

Mieczyslaw Wajnberg (8 December 1919 – 26 February 1996) – Polish composer and pianist. At the invitation of Dimitr Shostakovich, who greatly appreciated his work, he emigrated to the Soviet Union, where he often fell victim to anti-Semitic repression. Due to his Jewish origin, his artistic output, both at home and abroad, for many years has fallen into oblivion. Weinberg became known as a versatile composer, as evidenced by the multitude of musical genres he cultivated, from symphonies to chamber music and song cycles, to opera.

Although his compositions sound elements associated with the style of mentioned above Shostakovich or Sergius Prokofiev, his works cannot be denied an individual sense of tonality and virtuosity characteristic of the composer.

Sonata for Double Bass op. 108 (1971) – Mieczyslaw Wajnberg began composing it right after finishing his sonata for viola. It took him only six days to write this six-volume, combining elements of a sonata and a suite work. The composition should be performed attacca, which emphasizes the need to treat each part as a link inherent in forming a larger, coherent whole. By composing numerous passages and using the lowest register of the double bass, the piece is extremely demanding in terms of performance. It is a kind of test of the artist’s abilities.

Through such a combination, in order to achieve the effect composed by Fryba, the performer cannot present his technical skills, forgetting about the singing of the instrument.

Tracklist
01. A Suite in the Olden Style: I. Prelude
02. A Suite in the Olden Style: II. Allemande
03. A Suite in the Olden Style: III. Courante
04. A Suite in the Olden Style: IV. Sarabande
05. A Suite in the Olden Style: V. Gavotte I & II
06. A Suite in the Olden Style: VI. Gigue
07. Double Bass Sonata, Op. 108: I. Adagio
08. Double Bass Sonata, Op. 108: II. Alegretto
09. Double Bass Sonata, Op. 108: III. Moderato
10. Double Bass Sonata, Op. 108: IV. Alegretto
11. Double Bass Sonata, Op. 108: V. Lento
12. Double Bass Sonata, Op. 108: VI. Allegro molto
13. Kadenza