Par STRAVINSKY IGOR. This transcription of Suite italienne is the first full-scale composition by Igor Stravinsky to enter the double bass solo repertoire. Brian Powell, Associate Professor of Double Bass at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami, has adapted the versions of Suite italienne for violin and for cello as best suits the double bass. Moreover, he has widened the selection of movements, thus continuing a practice Stravinsky established with his instrumental collaborators (Dushkin and Piatigorsky) of allowing the performers to select material from the ballet Pulcinella. In this case the movements comprise Introduzione, Serenata, Aria, Vivo, Tarantella, Gavotta con due variazione, Scherzino and Minuetto e Finale. The Vivo movement is derived directly from the orchestral Pulcinella Suite: widely recognised by classical bassists as one of the most significant solos in the orchestral repertoire, the bass part is faithfully reproduced as in the original score. Suite italienne has music that will appeal to bassists of various performance levels – solo, chamber and orchestral bassists alike will appreciate different aspects of this music. The suite also possesses an abundance of flare and technical virtuosity that will excite audiences./ Répertoire / Contrebasse

Par RAVEL MAURICE. In 1922 Maurice Ravel heard the young Hungarian violin virtuoso and niece of Joseph Joachim, Jelly D'Aranyi, in concert in London. Following the performance, Ravel spent the remainder of the evening requesting D'Aranyi to play numerous gypsy tunes on her violin, probing her on the technical limits of the instrument. The result of this encounter is Ravel's virtuoso classic 'Tzigane”. Written originally for violin and piano or luthéal (a mechanism invented in 1919 that attaches to a piano, producing a sound similar to the rich overtones of the Cimbalon), the premiere took place in London in April 1924. The composer had finished the work only days beforehand. Ravel later orchestrated 'Tzigane” and both versions remain a 'must” for music-lovers and aspiring violinists today. Jelly D'Aranyi performed both versions regularly throughout her long career. This Urtext edition presents the first scholarly-critical edition of Ravel's masterpiece. It is published both in the orchestral version, complete with full score and performance material, as well as in the composer's earlier version for violin and piano. All known sources, including letters, have been drawn on for the new edition - one of the available sources, consulted for the first time, was a copy of 'Tzigane” from the estate of Jelly D'Aranyi, which is today part of a private collection. The version for piano and violin contains, besides the Urtext part, a second violin part as a facsimile with performance instructions by Jelly D'Aranyi. D'Aranyi's alterations and fingering reflect how Ravel must have heard the work in rehearsals and performance and as such are a document of early 20th century performance practice. The cooperation between Ravel and D'Aranyi is comparable to that of Brahms and Joachim working on the Brahms violin concerto. - First scholarly-critical Urtext edition of the work - Presented are both versions: for violin and orchestra and for violin and piano - Includes Jelly D'Aranyi's fingering/ Répertoire / Contrebasse