W.A. Mozart: Adagio K.411 for double bass quintet (arr. David Heyes)

About the Arrangement

Mozart’s Adagio K.411 is originally for 2 clarinets and 3 basset horns and transcribes beautifully for the advanced double bass quintet.

Composed in 1785 and believed to have been written for a Masonic event that year, it has been arranged for many instrumental combinations, offering musical and technical challenges in equal measure. The beautiful and evocative melodies, alongside intricate counterpoint, flows from player to player, with an independent and supportive bass line provided by bass 5.

There are opportunities to demonstrate the versatility and great potential of the double bass quintet in music, which is both player and audience-friendly. Lasting around six minutes, the Adagio would be easy to program and ideal for any audience or occasion.

About the Arranger

David Heyes 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 700 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 27 countries across five continents. He is a D'Addario Performing Artist and has recently commissioned a solo double bass from British master-luthier Martin Penning.