Reinhard Wolschina (b. 1952): Waldszenen 1986 (1986)
Ron Merhavi – Double Bass
Agnon House, Jerusalem
26.3.2009
Reinhard Wolschina was born in Leipzig, 1952. He studied piano and composition at the Music Academy in Weimar, where he has founded the studio for new music and served as Professor for composition. Wolschina has been celebrated as a composer through two Hanns Eisler prizes for composition from German Radio. In 1996 he composed a double concerto for double bass, Marimba, eighteen wind instruments and two Harps. Wolschina is a sought after guest worldwide as a composer and a performer, among others with the trio he founded, PianOVo, comprised of Oboe, Cello and Piano, as well as in a Guitar-Piano duo with his wife, Chris Bilobram.
During my studies in the U.S., a web search led me to Wolschina's Vision-Aktion, a piece for Oboe, Cello and double bass that I was privileged to perform for the first time outside of Germany.
Ron Merhavi
Composer's note:
My deep concern for the health and lasting existence of our forests, as well as the desire to warn my contemporaries not to surrender, but to take action so as to preserve the forest for our sake and for the sake of our children, have led me to compose the piece Waldszenen 1986 (Forest scenes 1986).
Although at first sight the piece may seem extremely difficult for most double bass players, I would like to tell the broad minded interpreter that all the technical tricks in this piece hinge on an acquaintance of over fifteen years with solo playing on the double bass. This piece is at the same time a loving gesture to the solo double bass and to the wide sonorous possibilities it captures.
The double bass player who feels that all this work is relevant to him (or to her) should not spare him or herself any energy, playing the Waldszenen with as much technical skill and sense of fantasy that can be mustered.
Throughout the piece there appears a thread or motive fragments of a renowned theme by Johannes Brahms (first Symphony, opening of the last movement); towards the end of the piece appears the main theme of Abschied (farewell) from Robert Schumann's piano cycle Waldszenen (Forest scenes), op. 82.
Waldszenen for double bass solo was written in 17-18 November 1986 in Tabarz (Thuringian forest).
Reinhard Wolschina