Bottesini: Fantasia on Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda

On this new release, the double bass soloist of the Vienna Philharmonic, Ödön Rácz, born in Budapest in 1981, brilliantly performs the operatic fantasias Lucia di Lammermoor and Beatrice di Tenda by Giovanni Bottesini after the eponymous operas by Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini respectively and the Fantasia on a Theme from the Opera Moses by Rossini by Niccolò Paganini.

Besides Paganini’s fantasia, another extremely virtuoso work that was originally written for violin is the Valse triste in C minor by Ferenc Vecsey. Originating later in the 20th century, there are the Sonata Enigmatica for Double Bass Solo by Gottfried von Einem and the commissioned work Bass Trip, which the Latvian Pēteris Vasks composed for the ARD Music Competition in 2003. It shows bravura from the best side, perfected by the excellent playing of the pianist János Balázs Jr.

Giovanni Bottesini enjoyed a globe-trotting career as “the Paganini of the double bass” but was also an accomplished and respected conductor in Europe.

When conducting operas Bottesini would often perform fantasies on the evening’s entertainment during the intermission. Two such fantasies, ‘Lucia di Lammermoor’ and ‘Beatrice di Tenda’, are virtuosic tours de force in which the complex double bass figurations mimic the coloratura vocal writing of the day.

In keeping with this vocal style, this recording also includes the song Une bouche aimée with double bass obbligato, most likely performed on one of Bottesini’s frequent concert tours with various leading sopranos of the day.