Edgar Meyer - Meyer & Bottesini Concertos

On this record, featuring Edgar Meyer as both composer and bassist, the playing's the thing, and it is spectacular. His performance of four virtuoso concertos, two by himself and two by Bottesini, eclipses his compositions, though his stylistic versatility is in full evidence in both his works. The Concerto for Bass has elements of jazz and blues, and a good deal of textural contrast and imaginative orchestration, but it is repetitive and a bit dreary. In the hair-raisingly difficult Bottesini Concerto, Meyer performs every imaginable and many unimaginable technical feats, covering a range of more than six octaves and producing sounds from growls to flutelike harmonics. Apparently craving even more pyrotechnics, he substitutes his own cadenzas for the composer's.

Two equally stunning virtuosos join him for the other works. In his Double Concerto for Cello and Bass, he and Yo-Yo Ma chase each other up the fingerboard to the highest register, where, with their lines answering and interweaving, it is sometimes impossible to tell them apart. The piece is tonal and modal and supposedly classical in form, but quite dissonant. The middle movement alternates motoric outbursts with eerie, unvibrated sustained passages; the finale combines folk-fiddling with blues. Joshua Bell and Meyer play Bottesini's Duo Concertante for Violin and Bass with incredible virtuosity and obvious relish. Bell's tone is ravishingly beautiful and his charm, flair, and style are irresistible. Like his older compatriot Paganini, Bottesini was enthralled by Italian opera. The piece is full of dramatic recitatives and meltingly songful cantilenas, with the soloists bursting into arias and love duets and the orchestra setting the stage and providing the atmosphere. --Edith Eisler Amazon.com

Really good CD

I love this music. A couple weeks ago I saw a ballet to this music, and of course i needed to buy the CD after seeing such grand use of its great sound waves. And I love it! March 30, 2008

Mixed bag

Meyer's playing is, to my ear, impeccable, and with the addition of Bell and Yo-Yo Ma you have three great virtuosos playing on this CD.

My only problem is that I love the Bottesini works and feel so-so on his own compositions. I feel that the audience would have been better served if he had created two CDs; one with Bottesini bass works (and other standard classical music) and one with his own "Appalachian-style" compositions.

I don't think that his own compositions are necessarily bad; I just don't particularly appreciate them as much as I do his playing of classical repertoire.

One thing to commend, though, is that Meyer is taking an instrument that lacks a large library of music and featuring it in remarkable performances of existant pieces as well as creating his own works.

July 5, 2007

Not the best bass album out there

Edgar Meyer is an incredible talent on the instrument. The two classical CD's of his that I've heard, this and the Bach, have flawless intonation and attack on every note. While it's great to raise the bar for double bassists, I feel his musicality both as a performer and as a composer is decidedly lacking, now that there are many great performers on the instrument. When I listen to him next to, say, Gary Karr, Eugene Levinson, and Jeff Bradetich, his sound is nowhere near as interesting. It's solid, but not complex, and multiple listenings haven't led me to discover new things about the music, which is quite the opposite on those of his competitors. He plays the Bottesini like he's only half enjoying himself. Frankly, that is not acceptable for music like this. Meyer, to me, is just playing notes on a page. Gary Karr, on the other hand, lives every note that he plays...he wastes nothing (at least on most of his recordings). I've given blind listening tests to non-musicians and right from the first note of Gary Karr they prefer him; his sound grabs them and doesn't let go.

Also, for a more historically accurate performance, you can get the Thomas Martin Bottesini album with the other Bottesini concerto (F# minor) on it. Thomas Martin studied Bottesini's method books, fingerings, and virtually tried to become Bottesini. And all the other bassists I listed (and there are others as well) play with more passion and a more interesting sound. Don't be fooled just by technique--this music should have much more to it than that.

Meyer admitted in a phone interview published in a Chicago newspaper that he doesn't like the double bass repertoire one bit...which is why he mostly performs his own works. That being said, Bottesini's Grand Duo with Josh Bell is probably my favorite piece on the CD, maybe the only memorable one. Meyer is a good composer, I think; his Appalachian and bluegrass-style pieces are so much fun to listen to. I feel he should stick to that as a composer and performer. His two concertos here have some great moments, but overall are shallow and boring.

I realize I'm extremely opinionated about Meyer, but I think it's necessary to give voice to honest criticism, and I'm not the only double bassist who feels the way I do. It's sort of like listening to jazz and only checking out Wynton Marsalis--there is much better music out there, more authentically played if it's older music, and better musicianship if it's more contemporary jazz that Marsalis really doesn't do. If you really love Meyer's playing over Gary Karr, Eugene Levinson, Jeff Bradetich, Thomas Martin, Franco Petracchi, and Edwin Barker, then support him. Don't just support him because he's on the Sony Classical label and he's the only double bassist you've ever heard of.

Other suggestions:
Anything by Eugene Levinson
Gary Karr--Spirit of Koussevitzky, Virtuoso D.B. Concertos
Anything by Jeff Bradetich
Thomas Martin--recordings of Bottesini works
Franco Petracchi--an EMI album, hard to find on CD, of a Bottesini Duo
Jeremy McCoy--Dialogues with Double Bass (superb musicianship)

These gentlemen are excellent classical soloists, not just masters of their instrument. Happy listening! December 26, 2006

Bottessini

This CD was interesting, but most of the selections were not good music. There was one selection out of all, which was probably why I wanted to own this CD. Interesting double bass works. August 15, 2006

Excellent Variety, Outstanding Execution

This album is a must have. No one ever really thinks of double bass used much as a solo instrument. It tends to fade into the woodwork in symphony orchestra as the foundation of orchestral works. Enter Edgar Meyer. Meyer is probably one of the most accomplished musicians I have ever heard on ANY instrument. Meyer is an unbelievable virtuoso possessing all of the great qualities of an outstanding musician. His speed is unreal, his tone is nothing short of beautiful, his sensitivity is full of emotion and his dynamic playing leaves the audience captivated by all the things that a double bass can do that we never even thought about. Meyer is without a doubt one of the most outstanding musicians around today.

This disc has two extremes of music for the double bass. We hear the everything from Edgar Meyer's genre-crossing, ground breaking compositions to the traditional 19th century work of Giovanni Bottesini. Meyer's work as a composer is just as excellent as his work as a performer. He pushes the boundaries of classical music by incorporating other genres but stays within the framework of the tradition of classical music. The result is quite phenominal.

It is also wonderful to hear the other performances of Meyer with Joshua Bell and Yo-Yo Ma. Essentially, this disc acts as a who's who of the bowed instruments. Both Ma and Bell are also very amazing players and really contribute to the sound of the recording. The cello and the violin add a nice touch variety to the album as well. It is especially refreshing to hear the piercing high tone of Joshua Bell at the end. His playing is absolutely gorgeous. I have reason to believe that Mr. Bell could make me cry if he played right.

This disc is quite outstanding. Any lover of classical music will find absolute elation in it. This is truely outstanding work. January 4, 2006

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