A Chat with Leon Bosch

by Martin Simpson

Leon, you recently sent us a copy of the album you recorded with pianist Sung-Suk Kang for Meridian Records (CDE 84544) which has a running time of just under sixty five minutes. What I’d like to do is to go through this outstanding album with you so that you could tell us a little bit about what went into it. 

How long did the album take from conception to final mastering? 

The truth is that I have been dreaming about doing this CD ever since I was a young student at the South African College of Music of The University of Cape Town. 

But to try to answer your question more specifically, about 18 months from conception to final mastering. 

Until now, I have been pre-occupied with playing the bass for as many hours as possible, to earn a living and I have, to tell the truth, been privileged to be able to do so.  It is only fairly recently that I began to direct my energies at recording, and given my lifelong passion for the music of Bottesini, this was the obvious place to start. 

First of all I had to decide which pieces I wanted to record and once the dates were entered into my diary, my preparations began in all earnest. This included a couple of months of slow practice and contemplation, followed by as many concerts as possible, both formal and informal, to solidify my interpretations and from then on I basically practiced as much as time would allow.  

One month before we were due to face the microphones, I took the decision to suspend going out to work for a living and devote myself entirely to practicing, all day, every day. This was undeniably an incredibly enjoyable time and I was in great shape, both physically and psychologically. I was in short, raring to go! 

We spent three days recording: three pieces on the first day (the first hour or more is usually consumed in the process of finding a suitable balance and sound), 4 pieces on the second day and the remaining three pieces on the final day.  

Then our recorded material had to take its place in a queue, waiting for editing. It was probably 8/9 months before I received the first edit and once I had listened to it all in minute detail, I submitted my notes and comments to Meridian Records. Then followed a second edit, which once again took me a while to listen to, but by the time I received the third edit, I had really heard enough. Listening to ones own playing is a bit like looking at oneself in the mirror, NAKED…..not entirely desirable, neither pleasant. 

At this stage, things began to move rather quickly and it wasn’t long until I held the finished product in my hands!  

The album consists of ten pieces that were written by the Italian composer Giovanni Bottesini (1821 – 1889). Why did you chose these particular pieces – or were they chosen for you? 

The repertoire was entirely my choice and Meridian Records are almost unique in this respect, allowing their artists such a gratifying degree of sovereignty.  

Bottesini occupies a truly special place in my heart. As a young student at the University of Cape Town I spent innumerable hours learning as many of his compositions as possible. It was a real voyage of discovery and one that I shall treasure forever.  

Room B17, the double bass room at the South African College of Music of The University of Cape Town, was literally my home for the duration of my four years studying there. I arrived early every morning and stayed until late into the night, Saturdays and Sundays included, and it was during these long hours with the double bass in my hands, exploring Bottesini’s music, that I experienced so many ‘eureka’ moments, musically at least.  

I seemed to enjoy a natural affinity for the bel canto style and virtuosity so integral to his compositions and before long I began to feel as if Bottesini and I shared a special relationship, a bond that continues to this day.

For my final exam recital in Cape Town in November 1981, I performed 10 of Bottesini’s showpieces for double bass and piano and of these, I’ve recorded 8 on the present disc.  

Fantasie Sonnambula and Adagio par Ernst are the impostors, but they too are included for a very special reason.  

The Fantasie Sonnambula was the very first piece I learnt after coming to England to study in 1982, whilst the Adagio par Ernst, a relatively recent addition to my repertoire, re-awakened that almost childlike sense of joy which I’d last experienced as a young man in Cape Town.  

Were you actively involved in the sleeve design / presentation of the cd? 

The CD sleeve was designed by Richard Hughes of Meridian Records, and I think he has done an excellent job.  

I did get to see some alternative designs before it went to print, but my involvement extended to no more than providing the photographs and commissioning the biographical material.  

Now I'll let you take us through the tracks on the album, starting with: - 

Elegy and Tarantella

These were the very first pieces of Bottesini I ever learnt.  

Discovering the communicative power of this richly romantic music was a real revelation and it not only provided me with a route to understanding the true expressive capabilities of music, but it also ignited my passion for the double bass.    

I remember playing through the Elegy and Tarantella to my then teacher, Max Rünge, a few days before I was meant to perform them in an exam. My pianist, Margot Krut, and I started with the Elegy and before launching into the Tarantella, I turned to Max, expecting him to have some comments.  

He remained completely silent however, which was uncharacteristic for him, and he also seemed to be a little ill ease. In an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence, I tentatively asked some inane questions, but these remained unanswered. It was only then, that I realised that he had tears rolling down his cheeks. 

At that moment, I finally understood how it is possible to communicate through music.   

The Tarantella on the other hand, whilst seemingly a mere bravura display of technical brilliance, also contains within it moments of ravishing beauty, which are capable of melting even the hardest heart! 

I was for many years under the misapprehension that a Tarantella needed to be played twice as fast as possible, but with the benefit of some maturity, I have now arrived at an alternative view.  

Romanza Patetica (Mélodie):

The Romanza Patetica is a beautiful and incredibly expressive piece, which tugs mercilessly at the heart strings. I love it completely and utterly and it does have a very special significance for me as well.  

Of all the Bottesini pieces I played whilst I was a young student in South Africa, this is the one I know my father loved most of all.  

We played a recording of it at his funeral ceremony and I have dedicated my performance on this disc to his memory.  

Gavotta:

Far from being unremittingly melancholic, Bottesini also enjoyed a quirky sense of humour which is expressed to great effect in the Gavotte.  

Its playful and rather mischievous elements are a real joy! 

Reverie:

The Reverie is thought to have started life as a composition for cello and piano and subsequently to have been transcribed for double bass.  

Be that as it may, it is a deeply emotional and evocative piece which is incredibly well served by the rich timbre of the double bass. 

I first heard it in the early 1980’s when Gary Karr and Harmon Lewis performed it in a recital at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town. It touched me so deeply I went out to buy the music straight away and then spent hour upon hour experimenting with every possible nuance. 

Meditazione (Aria di Bach): 

This is probably one of the best known tunes in the world and it is easy to understand why Bottesini became so enchanted with it.  

In this arrangement, he brings his own unique vision to bear upon the piece, epitomised in the name, Meditazione, which he attaches to it.   

I wrestled with my own personal understanding of the piece for years, but do believe that Sung-Suk and I finally managed to articulate what I was searching for, in this performance.  

Fantasie Sonnambula: 

Bottesini was of course not just an incredible virtuoso double bassist and conductor of great accomplishment, but also a successful composer of opera and it was this unique understanding of opera that he exploited to such great effect in his numerous operatic fantasies.  

Of these, it is Fantasie Sonnambula which provided my first encounter with the form.  

It is, for me, one of his most imaginative and I shall also never forget that it is this piece, more than any other, which kept the wolf from the door during my early years as a diligent, but very poor student.  

Whenever I had to literally ‘play for my supper’, Fantasie Sonnambula always came to the rescue! 

Romanza Drammatica (Elégie): 

The Romanza Drammatica is for some reason rarely performed, or recorded for that matter, and I really cannot understand why.  

It is a composition of great emotional depth, at times dramatic, sometimes tender, occasionally exuberant, often mournful, but skilfully interspersed with exquisite rhapsodic moments of extraordinary colour.  

The sentiments expressed in this piece are so complex and varied, that constructing a meaningful whole requires great imagination and therein lies the challenge which Bottesini lays down. 

It is a magical piece which I always enjoy performing, especially with the wind in my sails. 

Adagio par Ernst: 

This is yet another extremely touching and beautiful melody which Bottesini loved.  

It is not surprising therefore that he chose to transcribe it for double bass, since it is so well suited to the unique expressive capability of the instrument.  

Compared to all the other Bottesini pieces in my repertoire, this is a fairly recent addition, but it has captivated me completely. 

Capricco di Bravura: 

Capriccio Bravura is precisely what it says it is and is probably one of those pieces which one needs to have learnt early in life.  It is a daunting challenge in almost every respect, and I am pleased to have it in my repertoire. 

Would you ever like to go back and change anything? 

Not really……. 

Although I have recorded numerous chamber and orchestral discs, this was my first solo CD, and like with everything else in life, there is no substitute for experience. I have now recorded my third solo CD and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I am getting better, much better, at playing to the microphone.                   

As anybody who has had the privilege to record will undoubtedly know, the microphone can do very strange things to even the best prepared artist.  

The managing director of Meridian Records often recounts tales of artists reduced to tears in front of the microphone and I too have had the distinctly uncomfortable experience of seeing fellow musicians unravel in the studio. 

So, in a word….NO…I wouldn’t want to change anything. The disc is an accurate representation of my performance at the time and it faithfully reflects my own personal view of the music. 

If I were to record the same pieces once again, there would probably be some differences in approach and perhaps of interpretation too, but things would in essence be much the same.  

To a performing artist, the editing process is an education in itself. It is often tempting to tamper far too much with the available material, in search of that illusory concept of perfection. What one can however sadly be in danger of doing, is to lose any sense of continuity or performance.   

After one or two edits, when my own objectivity began to desert me, I decided to leave matters in the capable hands of Meridian’s excellent staff. (In retrospect, a very wise decision) 

This was the first time you were reunited with Sung-Suk Kang since your student days. Have you got a follow-up disc with her in the pipeline? 

Yes, most assuredly! 

Sung-Suk and I recorded our second disc shortly after the Bottesini, again on the Meridian Records label, but this time of English music for the double bass.  

The composers include Gordon Jacob, Alan Bush, Lennox Berkeley, Thomas Pitfield, David Ellis, Elisabeth Lutyens, Elisabeth Maconchy, John Walton, Alfred Reynolds and John McCabe, and of the 10 pieces we recorded, 9 are world premieres.  

We have also in the last few days (9/10/11 May 2007) recorded a disc of Russian music for double bass and piano and plans for further discs are well advanced.  

Later this year we will record a second disc of English music, which will then be followed by a disc of Dragonetti, before we return to my favourite composer for the double bass, Giovanni Bottesini, and then, we’ll move on to a disc of Sonatas by Beethoven and Schubert.  

The period ahead looks really exciting.