Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra (2022)

As the stage was reset to make room for the Double Bass soloist, Johannes Fritzsch took to the microphone to interview Paul Dean about his compositional process and the quirky titles including, “Arrival (of the Queen of Tarragindi)” (Dean’s nickname for close friend Russell), the “Big Deal Waltz” (a reference to the comment made by Russell to Dean’s wife upon their introduction: “My name’s Phoebe; I’m kind of a big deal.”) and finally “Allegro-Building a Better Banana” (an in-joke within the comedic QSO double-bass section). Very quickly it became clear that Dean’s claim that this is a “Concerto for Phoebe” rather than a “Concerto for Double Bass” was an accurate one. The in-jokes continued in the music via musical quotations and nuance in a way that can only truly be appreciated among good friends. Clearly the orchestra, soloist and composer found great joy in this, and that joy and the music itself was infectious, even if the jokes were somewhat lost-in-translation in the same way that all in-jokes are when explained. That aside, the 25-minute work was a substantial and virtuosic addition to the tiny solo Double Bass orchestral canon and was played with vigour and commitment by both soloist and orchestra alike. It was delightful to hear a work that fully celebrates the bottom end of the orchestra with the drama largely driven by the lower strings, brass and exquisite bassoon solos by David Mitchell. Russell’s command of the instrument, warmth and humour shone through in both the quiet atmospheric moments and intense, technically difficult passages proving without a doubt that she really is “kind of a big deal”. The audience clearly enjoyed the performance, erupting with cheers, rapturous applause and a heartfelt standing ovation that went on for quite some time.