Bottesini: Concerto No. 2 in B minor for double bass & piano (ed. David Heyes)

About the Composition

Bottesini’s Concerto No. 2 in B minor is one of the most popular works in the solo repertoire and it’s easy to see why. Its three contrasting movements showcase its virtuosic potential, across the entire solo register of the instrument, alongside operatic and bel canto influences which enable the double bass to sing.

The outer movements are exciting and dramatic, with many technical challenges and long cantabile melodies, contrasting a slow movement which could almost be an operatic aria highlighting the soulful and expressive capabilities of the solo double bass.

The cadenza towards the end of the first movement is a tour de force for the soloist and is surely one of the most impressive cadenzas in the entire double bass concerto repertoire.

About this Edition

Bottesini’s Concerto No.2 in B minor exists in two keys, in a number of undated manuscripts, with different orchestrations and with at least three titles.

Known today as Concerto No.2 in B minor, the manuscripts also title it as Concertino in C minor (double bass and string orchestra), Concerto (in B minor for double bass and piano) and 2nd Concerto (in C minor for double bass and piano). The double bass part is written in A minor and the key of B minor requires the double bass to be tuned one tone step higher, called ‘solo tuning’ today, and a minor 3rd higher for the C minor version.

This edition is based on the B minor manuscript, for double bass and piano, and includes two solo parts - one with Bottesini’s original bowings and a newly edited version by David Heyes.

This edition is available for piano accompaniment in both orchestral tuning (A minor) and solo tuning (B minor). Both tunings may also be bought as a bundle.

About the Composer

Giovanni Bottesini was called the 'Paganini of the Double Bass' and was the finest double bass soloist of the 19th-century. He was born in Crema (Lombardy) on 24 December 1821 and studied at the double bass at the Milan Conservatoire with Luigi Rossi, alongside harmony and composition with Nicola Vaccai (1790-1848) and Francesco Basili (1767-1850).

His remarkable career as a soloist began in 1839 and lasted fifty years, taking him to every corner of the world. From Italy, his travels took him to Cuba (1846), USA (1847), England (annually from 1849), Egypt, Ireland, France, Germany, Russia, Mexico, Spain, Belgium, Monte Carlo and many other countries throughout a long and distinguished career.

Bottesini was also famous as a composer writing at least 13 operas (Cristoforo Colombo, 1847 / Il diavolo della notte, 1856 / Ali Baba, 1871 / Ero e Leandro, 1879), a Messa da Requiem (1880) and an oratorio, The Garden of Olivet (1887 - first performed at the Norwich Festival), works for orchestra, 11 string quartets, string quintets, songs and many virtuoso works for double bass. As a conductor he is remembered primarily for directing the first performance of Verdi's Aida in Cairo in 1871, but was also a respected composer of Italian opera, including seasons in Mexico, Paris, Palermo, Barcelona, London, Buenos Aires and Parma.

Giovanni Bottesini died in Parma on 7 July 1889.

About the Editor

David Heyes (b.1960) studied double bass with Laurence Gray and Bronwen Naish, later at the Royal College of Music in London, and completed his post-graduate studies in Prague with František Pošta (Principal Bass, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra). He has given recitals and masterclasses in 20 countries over the past few years and has been a juror at a number of international competitions, three times as chairman.

David's collaborative work gained him a prestigious award from the David Walter Charitable Trust of New York for his pioneering activities as a soloist, teacher, publisher, and commissioner of new music for double bass and he works with composers throughout the world to expand the double bass repertoire by commissioning new music and by rediscovering forgotten ones. Since 1983 more than 750 works have been written for him, music from one to twenty basses and from beginner to virtuoso, and he has premiered ten contemporary concertos with orchestra.

David began to compose in 2013 and has had music performed and recorded in 32 countries across five continents and is proud to be a D'Addario Performing Artist.