Anam- The Up-bow Down-low

Episode 14, 2020: Bottesini’s Double Bass Concerto Wednesday 21 October 2020 Giovanni Bottesini is considered to be one of the most colourful and mysterious celebrities of 19thcentury music. Although his Double Bass Concerto no. 2 is considered to be a staple in every double bassist’s repertoire, there is unfortunately no surviving orchestral score written in the composer’s hand. Bottesini’s lack of due diligence in preserving his manuscripts made him more interesting for modern bass players who continuously search for the missing compositions in the back streets of Italy. In this episode of ANAM Radio, ANAM alumnus Alexander Arai-Swale (double bass 2017) talks to Phil Lambert (ANAM Music Librarian) from Berlin, Germany where he gives his two cents on the mysterious world of the double bass, and shares interesting anecdotes of Bottesini’s time in Baden-Baden, Germany. Alexander is currently a scholarship holder at the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker under the tutelage of Matthew MacDonald.