The A night at the Opera series
The world of opera has long inspired composers and players to plunder the best arias and melodies to transcribe for other instruments. The double bass is no exception and Bottesini's operatic fantasias are still at the very heart of our solo repertoire into the 21st-century.
Recital Music publish a number of opera transcriptions - works for double bass and piano or double bass ensemble - and there are many more works in various stages of publication. It's difficult to keep a good tune down!
Originally for violin, this beautifully evocative and lyrical Meditation from the opera 'Thais' has quickly become 'standard' repertoire for double bass. The melodic potential is exploited to the full and emphasises the singing and dramatic possibilities of the solo bass. There are long flowing melodies throughout the range of the instrument and many opportunities to display an advanced technique and musicality.
The three-act opera THAIS was written in 1890, to a libretto by Louis Gallet, after Anatole France's novel, and was first produced in Paris on 16 March 1894. It is set in 4th-century Egypt and tells how the monk Athanael converts the courtesan Thais, who becomes a nun, but loses her soul in the process.
Meditation is played between Scenes 1 and 2 of Act Two.
Edited and arranged for double bass by David Heyes, this edition also includes piano accompaniments for both solo and orchestral tunings.
[ATCL / Dip.LCM in Performance]
Performance Level: Advanced
An edition for solo double bass, strings and harp is in preparation. Please contact Recital Music for more details.
