PLEYEL BASS CONCERTO Rehearsals (World Premiere)

(Better with headphones)

Johann Matthias Sperger's 5th contrabass concerto, around which an aura of doubt and speculation had been hanging for a long time, was recently and convincingly ascribed to Ignaz Pleyel by our dear friend, musicologist and bass player Darija Andzakovic.

In our "Sperger Project" (performing all of Sperger's 18 double bass concerti), Number 5, on which we started working in Covid times, always had a special appeal.

The score is a bit of a puzzle and it took lots of time and work to fit all the bits and pieces together. The final arrangement is by Chiara Oryza.

The rehearsals took place in three sessions at Bram De Man's Bass Workshop at the end of 2024.

We're playing the piece in D at 415Hz. The original is in Eb, and one can only guess at what pitch it was played. There were no "standard" pitches back then, and the 430Hz that we now use for "Classical" music is actually a modern invention.

These recordings were our first complete run-throughs after having tested lots of different drafts and sketches. The best way for a musician to have some idea of where you are and where you want to go, is to record yourself, however sobering it may be.

This version is far from perfect, but we hope it's adequate to give the listeners a very first impression of the work, and other players a sort of platform on which to improve. Meanwhile, one year later, we play it quite differently (and better, we trust). Fingerings, articulations, ornaments, even some notes have been changed. Which is as it should be of course.

We ignored the cuts that are in the original bass part (for some reason the most beautiful "minore" bit was cut from the Rondo), and we chose both from the full orchestra score and from the solo bass part those passages that seemed to make the piece more exciting.

Making a Duo arrangement of a full score means that the two instruments have to try and integrate as much of the other orchestra instruments as possible, taking care not to overload the piece and trying to make it sound as though this was in fact originally intended as a Duo. The Viola d'Amore picks and chooses those elements that provide the orchestra's melodies and harmonies. The Bass, in addition to the solo part, plays all the Tutti bass parts (as was the habit back then), plus a few cello- or viola parts here and there.

The cadenzas were semi-improvised from a bunch of loose ideas.

In the end, a musician always has to follow John Lennon's advice : "If you're going to play my songs, make them your own". This is valid for "classical" music as well. Just faithfully playing the written notes is never enough, and the musician has to turn the music into something personal. Historical "authenticity" is an illusion. True authenticity consists in being your authentic self.

Pleyel and Sperger must have collaborated closely on this concerto. The technical challenges are numerous, and they prove once again what an astonishing player Sperger must have been.

Since these early rehearsals we have played the piece many times in public, notably at the Viennese Bass Days in The Hague, The Netherlands, on February 16th 2025 (for the very first time under Pleyel's name).

We hope you will enjoy discovering this beautiful concerto. May our first recording, flawed and rough though it is, inspire others to come up with their very own interpretations. I can't wait to hear them.

Our friend Robert Nairn will play the World Premiere with full orchestra next year in Australia, and I believe others are preparing their own versions with keyboard accompaniment. Very exciting.

Due to the idiosyncratic writing for the Viennese Violone, I'm afraid this concerto will prove to be largely unplayable in its original shape on the modern bass, but I guess some players will find creative ways around the problems with cuts, transpositions, and other tricks of the trade. Nothing wrong with that. Musicians have been doing this for as long as music exists.

Good luck to all, enjoy the music, enjoy life!

A THOUSAND THANKS TO:

Bram De Man for lending us his workshop and for the wonderful pear-bass he built (if my playing sometimes goes pear-shaped, don't blame the bass)
Pierre Vanengeland for his beautiful Viola D'Amore
José Andrès Reyes, bass player extraordinaire, video operator and editor, and a true friend
Darija Andzakovic, for all her hard work, her humor and her spirit
You all, the people who spend time watching our videos or attending our concerts (maybe gnashing their teeth and cursing, who knows. But many thanks anyway!)
Ancestors, family, children, grandson, friends, and all the people that we have crossed paths with, who so often have left indelible memories, and who keep inspiring us every day.

In memory of Pierre Nicolas, Frantisek Posta, Ludwig Streicher, Gary Karr, and Patrick Charton. I miss them.

Korneel Le Compte,Violone
Haruko Tanabe, Viola d'Amore