Double bassist
Leon Bosch continues on his successful recording spree of both popular and rare works for the double bass. This installment, his third on the Meridian label, is entitled The Russian Double Bass and includes both original (including Koussevitzky and Glière) and transcribed (from
Rubinstein to
Shostakovich) works for the instrument. Listeners will immediately notice the unmistakable vocal quality of the majority of pieces on the program, a fact the extensive and informative liner notes explain as appropriate given the frequency of heroic bass roles in Russian opera.
Bosch plays with a sincere and almost palpable emotional connection with his music. While it would be easy to make any one of these selections sappy and overwrought,
Bosch puts just the right amount of sentiment and drama into each note and phrase without crossing the line. His legato sound and ability to make long, well-connected phrases pairs well with the vocal quality of the music. As in his album, The British Double Bass, however,
Bosch's sound is almost too warm...too resonate...for complete appreciation on a recorded medium. All but the highest reaches of his instrument's range are often muddy and articulation blurred. The recorded level of the album is also quite low, so listeners will need to turn up the volume and listen closely to be able to hear the more positive attributes of
Bosch's performance. Kudos to pianist
Sung-Suk Kang who deftly handles the daunting task of achieving a nice balance when accompanying a bassist.