BRAHMS Sonata E minor op 38 (1st & 2nd mov.) - Božo Paradžik (double bass) & Maria Sofianska (piano)

The two movements composed 1862, originally first and third movement (Brahms destroyed Adagio, which was originally the second movement):
0:02 1. Allegro non troppo
15:12 2. Allegretto quasi Minuetto
Pianist Maria Sofianska and myself have recorded this video on May 31, 2021 when just a few more sequences for the documentary "Double Bass Goes Brahms" were needed (one can watch whole the one-hour-documentary here on KZbin: • DOUBLE BASS GOES BRAHM... ). We actually didn't actually even think of producing a "real" full video recording of this sonata that day, as the concert hall was hired just for short time and there was plenty of other pieces to be recorded during the two days. We played this sonata just twice through, but the result was better than expected and now we have this video. What we now hear makes us joy and we gladly share the recording here. Third movement sounds also promissing, maybe it will also be uploaded by the time.
Super Audio CD "Double Bass Goes Brahms" with three sonatas by Brahms performed with double bass and piano was the first big goal of my big Brahms-project. I was working on it actively for longer than 15 years. I've decided not to record any of sonatas by Brahms before I feel to have reached a full maturity as a musician. After my first two CD releases (published 2000 by EMI/Virgin Classics and 2011 by Solo Musica GmbH) I wanted to produce my recordings as an independent artist, in my own production. Therefore the CD can be ordered only from the online shop of my website. Please visit my website, one can listen there many more excerpts from the album. I also attend to upload on KZbin full videos with all Brahms sonatas I have played so far... and it is five of seven in total (from the two I will not perform as a whole piece I will upload one of the movements of the each sonata, though).
Brahms was one of the all-times-greatest giants of music. His sonatas are technically and musically a hard task to play and performing them well will challenge (not only) the bassists to face utterly limits. Therefore my project of bringing Brahms's music closer to double bassists is being now continued with a row of the new adaptations and arrangements that will be published soon. Some are already on KZbin (Rhapsody in G minor op.79 No.2 and Romance op.118 No.5). Next releases of PDF music and productions for KZbin videos are scheduled late in 2022. In terms of technical difficulties the next series of Brahms pieces will enable easier access to his music for the double bassists, the pieces are somewhat less difficult to play than the sonatas, yet still the pieces were composed by Brahms in their full musical grandiosity. I hope it will be an enrichment in the literature for double bass, which badly needs more high quality compositions. Education of a finest musician simply must include row of pieces composed by the greatest composers in the repertory. It is impossible to become a great musician by playing and studying only average compositions.
Jakob Brahms, father of Johannes the composer, was also a musician. He played horn and double bass. Unfortunatelly, his skills in playing double bass probably weren't impressive. It has been documented how he described double bass as "an instrument so dificult to control that performing more than two consecutive tones absolutely in tune can be only a coincidence". It is very regrettable, because Johannes Brahms, who knew this instrument so well never dared to compose any piece with exposed double bass part, not even one single chamber music piece with double bass left behind this great composer. He knew how to write for double bass in his symphonic works. Any professional orchestral bassist will confirm you how great this instrument sounds in all big orchestral works by Brahms.
This composer means a world to me and I am happy to upload much more of my "Double Bass Goes Brahms" project here. I think it would make Johannes Brahms happy if he could watch this. And I am sure Jakob Brahms would also enjoy a lot to listen at 73 minutes of this great music consecutively performed well in tune.
More Brahms will follow soon on my channel. Thank you for your attention and for your time.
Božo Paradžik
P. S. special thanks to our page turner, it is a greatly talented young double bassist Filipe Dandalo Modafferi, one might soon hear more of him.

[@GuitarristaRafaelApolo]

Piu bello, Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@paulfrantzis1]

It's incredible how he makes every note sing! Intonation is phenomenal as well!

[@gregoryf4186]

Wow, shifting technique is really good, nice to see when someone leads the shift with their elbow or wrist rather than their finger.

[@luigiluigi1652]

Quel son magnifique et le lyrisme wowww

[@cascanicoff5763]

Always a pleasure listening to your playing, Bozo. Hats off for the great accompanist too and a big thank you for the details in the description of the piece, also very interesting to read.

[@tayebkhaldoun7875]

Always great Mr PARADZIK

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Thank you 🤗

[@projdusja]

Великолепно! Браво!!!

[@dontdropthebass]

Thank you

[@maximvigilev]

Thank you.

[@jeromefohrer9570]

Incredible an beautiful work as usual, and very nice sound mixing by the way. Bozo, I'll never be tired of listen to you and thank you for posting this freely on internet...

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Thank you so much I'm so glad 🤗 yes, I would indeed be glad if a few more people would buy my Brahms CD, because that is how I finance the next projects (Brahms is still ongoing and all future pieces will be available as free videos, but it is still quite expensive to rent the concert hall and the piano, travelling, hotel expenses etc). But I will also upload big parts of the sonatas on KZbin

[@doublebassPaulBadiini]

What a great performance! Brahms would be proud of you!

[@paulfrantzis1]

He plays it better on the bass than most cellists!

[@SpergerJohannes]

Nádhera bravó,ďakujem za ďalšie inšpirácie

[@bozoparadzikcom]

😊🙏 velmý som rád

[@mirabortman73]

Мой любьмый Брамс. Спасибо.

[@bozoparadzikcom]

пожалуйста 🤗

[@_pinheirojo]

Very good bozo!!!!!

[@ikawinner960]

Amazing

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Thank you very much, it is so nice to know you like it

[@mariadelcarmen6693]

👏👏

[@paradajka42]

👏👏👏

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Ďakujem Vám 🙏😊

[@leonardnovel]

♥

[@bozoparadzikcom]

🤗 thank you

[@julionogueira2700]

Wooooooow!!! ❤ YEEEAAAHHH!!! \o/

[@bozoparadzikcom]

😁👏

[@aachoocrony5754]

That shift up the 1st string to B flat is very effective, more so than on the cello. You travelled 2 galaxies for that wheras on the cello it was just 1. Perhaps its worthwhile to go up the same string for cellists? But that was among the least of your exploits. I really enjoyed this performance and will listen repeatedly. The contrasts of register and in particular, color are better from your performance. As a cellist, I'm learning quite a few things! Stravinsky wrote a short piece for solo viola which I'm sure you'd play beautifully. It would work perfectly on the bass and I can already hear you playing the 1st theme. Now its time to listen to the A major Sonata to see how you put the violists to shame. The opening is already beautiful Bravo maestro!

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Oh, thanks so much ☺ yes... you are right, actually it is one of (many) things to consider when performing sonatas by Brahms. All string players Brahms appreciated a lot (and performed together with) used to play the melodies along the same string. Switching to another strings were done usually for some musical reasons. Bärenreiter Edition has made some fantastic publications about it recently. I had to figure out all those things slowly one by one, mainly by my gut feeling

[@patricioarias6287]

💐💐💙

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Thanks

[@mingzeli6237]

Bravissimo !Bozo!

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Thanks 😊🙏

[@Jason54821CKC]

Lovely vibrato

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Thanks 🤗

[@Kontrabass_basso]

Maestro! Wunderbar😎😭

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Thanks a lot

[@1962RJP]

Love the upper register of the cello, it’s not often heard, bravo. The alternate tuning helps I’m sure.

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Yes, higher tuning makes it sound more clear and natural in the higher register

[@priscianusjr]

You realize he's playing a double bass, not a cello, yes?

[@maitevedia5760]

Me podría enseñar toca muy bien

[@jessederscheid1673]

Kindly, Sir. Are you using standard tuning? My guess is you're not. That you're not using music makes me smile. I know what it takes to memorize that much material - talent and mucho practice. You are the Joe Pass of classic double bass.

[@luke1835]

It looks like it's up a fourth. A D G C

[@bozoparadzikcom]

This is cGDA tuning, with top C strings. Low tunings sound a bit muddy here

[@bozoparadzikcom]

Thank you for your words

[@jessederscheid1673]

Just a hillbilly bass player. Ever try a washtub bass?

[@caiusrosarum8443]

Is this the same audio from album "Double Bass Goes Brahms" or is a different recording?

[@bozoparadzikcom]

This is a different recording, actually two runthroughs, shot 13 months ago. I wrote about it in the video description

[@carlosmorales7500]

Tocas la raja wn

[@Maximiliano02]

Ya y tu

[@jacklefatalis7663]

First