Berlin Live!

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)    Sonate in D-Dur, Opus 87

I.  Allegro

II. Adagio cantabile

III. Minuetto (Allegro molto scherzo) -- Trio

IV. Finale (Presto)

Sofia Gubaidulina  (*1931)    Pantomime

Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908)    Zapateado, Op. 23 No. 2

Pedro Valls (1865-1935)   Suite Andaluza

I. Serenata

II. Polo Gitano

III. Saeta

IV. Zapateado

Serge Lancen    Croquis

I. Habañera

II.  Mais que se Passe-t-il Donc?

III. Tilbury

IV.  Tendresse

V.   Reminiscence

VI.  Espagnolade

Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840)    Introduktion und Variationen für eine Saite nach "Dal tuo stellato soglio" aus der Oper "Mosè" von Rossini

Herman Albert Trigger Fantasy

back to Online Shop

Program Notes

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) originally wrote his Sonata in D-Major, Opus 87 in 1795 as a trio for two oboes and english horn. In his adaptation for doublebass and piano, Wolf allows the original three voices to wander freely between the two instruments, creating idiosyncratic parts which nevertheless remain true to the original material.

Pedro Valls Durán (1869-1935), was one of the most important founders of the Spanish School of doublebass playing. The moods displayed in his setting of traditional Spanish songs and dances in Suite Andaluza span the whole gamut of expression, from the ardently pious procession of the Saeto to the extraordinary agility of the Zapateado. In Polo Gitano, Wolf employs innovative new virtuostic techniques borrowed from the flamenco guitar.

Sofia Gubaidulina, born in the Tatar Republic of the Soviet Union in 1931, is one of the most celebrated composers of our time. Her original work for doublebass and piano, Pantomime, was written for and first performed by Boris Artemyev

in 1981 in Moscow. Gubaidulina’s deep-rooted belief in the mystical properties of music is embodied in her use of simple elements of expression to achieve heightened musical tension.

Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908), the internationally renowned Spanish violin soloist and composer, originally wrote Zapateado for violin and piano. Composed in the style of a Spanish dance, it is a brilliant display of technical pyrotechnics that ventures into the most daring heights of virtuosity. To realize its performance on the doublebass, Wolf had to pioneer numerous new techniques, including bassoon-like fingerings for artificial harmonics, flying spiccato and ricochet, parallel octaves and pizzicati with the left hand.

The Parisian composer, Serge Lancen (1922-), composed his first work at the age of four. Many of his works are inspired by folklore, and Croquis, an original work for bass and piano, is no exception. It draws strongly on a Spanish tradition and combines virtuosity with a pronounced sense of tongue-in-cheek humor.

The Italian violinist and composer, Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840), is considered by many to be the greatest violinist of all time. He intended his work, Introduction and Variations from "Dal tuo stellato soglio" in the opera "Mos" by Rossini, to be played on one single string of the violin. His own performances of the work, which were accompanied by the clamor of screaming and fainting members of the audience, were punctuated with theatrical highlights, such as having his strings torn from his violin one at a time, and his playing parts of the piece behind his back. Wolf, who also plays the piece on one string, takes up this tradition by playing parts of the second variation behind his back (to the audible delight of the audience) and again in the coda, where he re-tunes his string down a half-step while playing, allowing him to reach notes that would normally be played on a neighboring string. The colorful rendition of the piano part is from the violin virtuoso Zino Francescatti.

Trigger Fantasy, by Herbert Albert, is the only work on this album not recorded in concert, and is offered as such in the spirit of an encore. It is written in the traditional swing style, involving improvisation and a variety of pizzicato techniques.

back to Online Shop