Simon Garcia writes: "I wrote this piece for the great bassist and friend, David Heyes, who needed original repertoire for double bass and piano for a Christmas recital in December 2013. I found it interesting to explore the "Christmas sounds" on the double bass and decided to write a piece where the solo bass part is played entirely in harmonics throughout, to convey the sweetness and warmth of Christmas time.

A short introduction of one bar transports us speedily into a happy home, as if we have travelled with Charles Dickens´s Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present. The piece aims to portray the innocence and jollity of children at this festive time of year and has two main themes. The first theme conveys the happy home, the heat of the fire in the fireplace while it's snowing outside, and the children are restless and excited on Christmas eve.

The second theme is the calm of the night, all the family are sleeping, you can only hear the ticking of the clock and this is the moment before Santa Claus climbs down the chimney. The first theme recurs, with some variation, describing the time when the children find their gifts next morning.

It´s early and the bells announce Christmas day."

The Night before Christmas is dedicated to David Heyes.

Bassist and composer Simon Garcia was born in Mugardos (Spain) in 1977 and graduated in double bass from the Conservatorio Superior of Salamanca. He has worked as a double bassist in the Royal Orchestra of Galicia, having also performed in many orchestras throughout Spain, and is the bassist in the Symphony Wind Orchestra of A. Coruna. He has collaborated with many musicians and ensembles, particularly in the field of contemporary music, and has recorded and performed on many commercial recordings and for television and radio broadcasts.

Simon Garcia has composed more than twenty works for double bass, ranging from two to six players, alongside transcriptions of these pieces for various chamber ensembles. His music has been performed in Mexico, Spain, Japan, Italy, Austria, Germany, Canada, USA and UK by The Bass Gang, Bass Instinct and Il Quint-etto amongst others, and some of his music was used as teaching material in the 2011 ISB Year of Collaborative Music.

Simon Garcia's music is lively, jazzy and rhythmic with great forward momentum and drive. Accessible for players and audiences alike, he writes colourful music of distinction and energy, employing the entire range of the double bass.