SFA music faculty member Gaviria to present 'Bass and Co.'
November 3, 2014
Carlos Gaviria
Gaviria will present "Bass & Co." and will be joined by colleagues Jennifer Dalmas, violin; Evgeni Raychev, cello; Melissa Nabb, viola; Christina Gunether, flute; and Geneva Fung, piano.
"'Bass & Co.' is a play on words to describe chamber music with the double bass, an instrument that is not commonly associated with chamber music," Gaviria said. "The only piece that comes to mind when thinking of the double bass and chamber music is (Franz) Schubert's 'The Trout' quintet. However, composers have experimented with the low register of the bass and produced a significant output.
"My idea was to introduce to the audience pieces that are not as well-known but are true musical gems and feature the double bass nicely," he said. "It will be a lot of fun."
Among the pieces to be performed are Piano Quintet in C minor by Ralph Vaughan Williams; Concertino for Viola, Flute and Double bass by Erwin Schulhoff; "Contrabajeando" by Astor Piazzolla; and "Appalachian Waltz" by Mark O'Connor.
Of the Williams piece, Gaviria said the composition "features lush romantic harmonies and textures, typical of composers of the Romantic period, like (Johannes) Brahms, whom Vaughan Williams admired." And Concertino for Viola, Flute and Double bass is an "unusual instrumental combination by the Czech composer that explores the timbric characteristics of the instruments while combining them with Czech folk dances," he added.
Tickets for this Cole Performing Arts Series event are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.