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About the Double Bass Concerto:
The Persian poetry from the middle ages is often mystical and dualistic, attempting to paint a world of seen and unseen. In composing my double bass concerto, I was drawn to “Veil”, a poem by Hafez, the beloved Persian mystical poet from the 14thcentury. The title of each movement is generally inspired by the poem.
In the first movement, Grace and Light, a dance-like irregular rhythm permeates throughout the movement providing much of the thematic and harmonic materials of the concerto. The movement ends with a virtuosic lightning speed passage that challenges the technical limits of the double bass.
In the second movement, Hidden World, the solo bass traverses through a wide range of characters from somber, lyrical, and sorrowful to joyous and hopeful. There are bursts of dark and dissonant orchestral passages providing dramatic contrast to the solo bass.
In the third movement, Unity of Essence, much of the thematic materials from the previous movements are revisited, transformed, or juxtaposed against each other. The energetic and virtuosic solo passages combined with a big orchestral tutti propels the concerto to an exhilarating finale.
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Recording: