San Diego Symphony's "Lunch & Listen" virtual series features a different musician each week. In this episode, Principal Bassist Jeremy Kurtz-Harris performs two movements of David Anderson's "Four Short Pieces", chats with Executive Director Martha Gilmer about a variety of topics, and finishes with pieces by Domenico Dragonetti and Xavier Foley.
"Sueños" was commissioned by a consortium of 21 bassists from around the world, organized by Jeremy Kurtz-Harris. Tijuana-based composer/bassist Andrés Martin was asked to write a multi-movement work for double bass and piano, with whatever structure inspired him. After having a melody come to him in a dream (one that eventually became part of the first movement), Martin decided to write a five-movement suite, based on different dreams: Falling Asleep, Water, To Die, Flying, and Escape.
Composer’s notes:
“EDGE is the sharp but delicate lines of a cut diamond; the sheen of sound as it slices the silence; the precision of a surgical knife. Edge is the gritty underside of the pulsing city: dangerous, vital. It is a slalom ski as it speeds downhill — barely balancing and almost, but not quite, losing control. Precarious, but exhilarating . . . EDGE was commissioned by the International Society of Bassists as the required piece of the 2003 Solo Competition.”
This impromptu conversation with Joel Braun at the 2019 ISB convention turned into a full podcast episode once Jason Heath showed up.
A performance of the Koussevitzky Bass Concerto from a faculty recital at Peabody BassWorks in 2012.
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