Soloist: Matthew McDonald, double bass / Conductor: Marcus Bosch / Neubrandenburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Johann Baptist Vanhal: Double Bass Concerto
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 in D minor (original version)
Only a few composers have written works for the double bass as a solo instrument. One of the very first was the Bohemian Johann Baptist Vanhal, who, like Mozart, had lived in Vienna since the early 1780s. Anton Bruckner would also later establish himself as a composer in Vienna. However, the public and the critics' pope Eduard Hanslick did not make it easy for him. The premiere of his 3rd Symphony, dedicated to Richard Wagner, was a disaster in December 1877, partly due to Bruckner's conducting; the composer had little experience of conducting a large orchestra. The symphony was not well received until 1890, when the third (!) version of the symphony was performed under the direction of Hans Richter. Since then, however, the first version of the work, written in 1872/73, has also attracted increasing attention.
