Composer: Franz Anton Hoffmeister, Gioacchino Antonio Rossini
Performer: Minna Pensola, Antti Tikkanen, Tuomas Lehto, Niek de Groot
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: BIS
Release: 2017
Size: 1.21 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Rossini: Sonata a quattro No. 1 in G major
01. I. Moderato
02. II. Andante
03. III. Allegro
Hoffmeister: Double Bass Quartet No. 1 in D Major
04. I. Allegro moderato
05. II. Adagio
06. III. Rondeau
Rossini: Sonata a quattro No. 2 in A Major
07. I. Allegro
08. II. Andante
09. III. Allegro
Hoffmeister: Double Bass Quartet No. 2 in D Major
10. I. Allegro moderato
11. II. Menuetto – Trio
12. III. Andante
13. IV. Rondo
Rossini: Sonata a quattro No. 3 in C major
14. I. Allegro
15. II. Andante
16. III. Moderato
The works gathered here hail from two different sets of string quartets: the four so-called Solo Quartets by Franz Anton Hoffmeister and Gioachino Rossini’s six String Sonatas (or Sonate a quattro). Both sets differ from the ‘normal’ configuration in that they allow a double bass to take part, albeit in different ways. Rossini, who composed his sonatas at the age of 12 (!), left out the viola and gave the double bass a more or less conventional bass role – albeit with occasional virtuosic outbursts. The sonatas were first published in an arrangement for traditional string quartet and are often heard performed by string orchestras.
In Vienna, where he was active as a composer and music publisher, Hoffmeister (1754-1812) chose a different solution than Rossini and gave his double bass player a leading role in the ensemble, letting it replace the first violin. It was no coincidence that this happened in Vienna – considering the amount of solo works for the double bass composed there, the standard of playing must have been exceptional. On the present recording, it is the Dutch player Niek de Groot who takes up Hoffmeister’s challenge in the company of a Finnish trio consisting of Minna Pensola, Antti Tikkanen and Tuomas Lehto. Niek de Groot has also edited the score of the first of the Hoffmeister quartets, which is here recorded for the first time.