ANAM Radio: Vanhal's Double Bass Concerto (Ep 8 2021)

Episode 8, 2021: Vanhal’s Double Bass Concerto
Friday 5 November 2021

Since the mid-18^th century, the double bass has evolved considerably. One of the most prolific composers that are known for his Double Bass Concerto is Bohemian-born Johann Baptist Vanhal. During his time, there were different models of the double bass which made the degree of standardisation for the instrument a lot lower than it is today. Vanhal was writing for double basses tuned in the Viennese style, which is significantly different from the current-day style of tuning.

The difference in configuration was one of the biggest challenges Ben Saffir (double bass, NSW) had to overcome when he was preparing for his first ANAM recital in 2020. In this episode of ANAM Radio, Ben talks to ANAM Music Librarian Phil Lambert about everything we need to know about the double bass and his own double bass created by Romeo Gabute in the Philippines in the mid-20^th century.

The performance video featured in this episode of ANAM Radio is from Ben’s 2020 Recital in the Musica Viva studios in Sydney, NSW.

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