Informationen zu "Gustav Laska Ed: David Heyes Wiegenlied (Lullaby) Double Bass & Piano"
Verlag: Recital Music
Verlagsnummer: RM928
EAN: 9790570459285
ISMN: M-57045-928-5
Beschreibung
Wiegenlied (Lullaby) is a short and lyrical work for double bass and piano.
This new edition, by David Heyes includes accompaniments for both solo and
orchestral tunings. Almost exclusively in treble clef and in the solo
register of the double bass, it demonstrates the sonorous and cantabile
qualities of the instrument. Gustav Laska is part of a long line of Czech
player-composers who studied at the Prague Conservatoire and exported the
Czech tradition and heritage to almost every corner of the globe. He was born
in Prague on 23 August 1847 and died in Schwerin (Germany) on 16 October
1928, aged 81 and after a long and successful career. He studied at the
Prague Conservatoire from 1861-7 with Josef Hrabe (double bass), Jan B. Kittl
(music theory) and Josef Krejci (composition) and after graduation gave solo
performances in Austria and subsequently became a member of the orchestra in
Kassel, Germany. He travelled extensively in Europe and America, both as a
soloist and orchestral player, and was Principal Double Bass at the Bayreuth
Festival for many years. Throughout his life Laska also taught, conducted
and composed, alongside his solo and orchestral performances, and Franz
Tischer-Zeitz who edited the Dittersdorf Concerto in the 1930s, was one of
his students. In 1904 his Method for Double Bass Op.50 was published in
Leipzig but is practically forgotten today - the fate of many similar double
bass tutors. From 1878 until his death in 1928 he was a member of the Court
Opera Orchestra of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and was also choirmaster of the
Schwerin Singakademie and church choir. Laska was a prolific composer,
writing in many genres, including three operas (Der Kaisersoldat, Sunde and
Abu Seid), two orchestral overtures, two symphonies, sacred choral works,
piano music, and many works for double bass. The first recording of a work by
Laska was probably his Wiegenlied Op.28, No.5 (Lullaby) by Serge Koussevitsky
(double bass) and Pierre Luboshutz on 26 September 1929. Koussevitsky must
have thought well enough of the piece to record it alongside some of his own
miniatures and transcriptions of music by Eccles and Beethoven and it was
probably a work he had performed during his years as a virtuoso double
bassist. The double bass music of Gustav Laska is well written for the
instrument, featuring many technical challenges alongside lyrical and
cantabile melodies, but much of it has fallen from the repertoire since his
death almost 90 years ago. The smaller works are probably best described as
salon or characteristic music, but of a high quality, and many are still
worthy of performance today. His music often fuses the technical skills of
the Czech School with the lyricism and virtuosity of Bottesini, although
still with one foot very firmly in the Czech camp. The salon style is a
little out of step with today's music making and sensibilities but fashions
do change and there is a wealth of great music awaiting rediscovery by the
curious and adventurous bassists.
