Whereas it is no surprise to hear a contrabass solo in the performance of jazz bands, it is still something special for classical music. At the beginning of 2007 an interesting concert took place in the Kharkiv Philharmonic Society: the contrabassist Volodymyr Chekaliuk of Odesa presented an unusual program for the audience — works for contrabass with orchestra. The performance received a tremendous ovation, and the philharmonic society was showered with requests to hold more concerts of this kind. This was naturally followed by the creation of the Contrabass Show to be held each winter. The residents of Kharkiv were charmed by this instrument, so this show has already become a good tradition.
It is a known fact that the predecessor of the contrabass — viola da gamba, or bass viol — was commonly used in ensemble music, so the contrabass inherited certain successful findings in its construction: the pointed shape, slanting sides, and the same principle of tuning.
Since its introduction in the 17th century the two-meter giant for a long while remained in the shade of its close relatives — the violin, viola, and cello. In its humble position in the background of the orchestra the contrabass fulfilled its basic function, serving as the foundation for the entire sound fabric, which is not an easy task. After less than a hundred years composers turned their attention to the contrabass, discovering a number of new aspects in its performance. Most importantly, the instrument entered the proscenium for solo performances.
Despite its seeming awkwardness, the contrabass is a fairly rich instrument with an extensive range of expressive methods, which enables composers to reveal themselves in most extraordinary images — from grumbling indignation and slight irony to sinister passions. Among the first ones to pay attention to contrabass was Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, a violinist, composer, and singer of the Vienna State Opera and a contemporary of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who composed several concertos for contrabass with orchestra. His classic example was followed by romanticists and 20th-century composers. The contrabass offers unlimited room for imagination before the contemporary authors. Therefore contrabass solos are increasingly frequently found in contemporary scores.
At the moment Kharkiv is the only city to host the Contrabass Show. The show is also unique because five solo contrabasses simultaneously remain on the stage. In the first part of the concert the contrabass is a solo instrument accompanied by the orchestra, while in the second it is a part of different ensembles.
Unlike last year’s show with Odesa-based contrabassists headed by their leader and teacher Volodymyr Chekaliuk, this year’s event involved performers from Kharkiv — Yurii Vyshnevsky, Stanislav Melnyk, and Pavlo Blahy.
The contrabass appeared in the most unexpected roles. First, it imitated its predecessor, the viol, in Baroque pieces. Here its sound is elegant, modest, and somewhat playful. The musicians played an astounding work — a sonata for string quartet composed by Gioachino Antonio Rossini, who later became a composer of worldwide renown, at the age of 12.
The concert also included a premiere of Musicians in Love, a piece for two contrabasses with orchestra by the Kharkiv composer Mykola Stetsiun, which pleased the audience with its brightness and humor. A drum set and a “wandering contrabass” combined with a symphonic orchestra is the luxury that present-day authors can afford.
Concerts of this kind are beautiful by virtue of their universality. Curious children got acquainted with an interesting musical instrument, contrabass experts took pleasure in the wonderful performance of professional musicians, and seekers of things exotic familiarized themselves with contemporary composers’ opuses. That is why the audience gave the musicians rapturous ovations and invited them back onstage for an encore.
Today the contrabass is a fashionable and even exotic, extravagant instrument. Moscow’s Satirikon Theater will stage the play Kontrabass by Patrick S skind (Konstantin Raykin acts brilliantly in this one-actor play), and the Kharkiv Philharmonic Society is laying the foundation for new concerts.
