Koussevitzky: Double Bass Concerto, Op. 3 transposed to D Minor (transcribed by Stephen Tramontozzi)

About the Composition The concerto falls into the conventional three movements, beginning with an allegro that opens with a declamatory, Tchaikovsky-like theme succinctly stated by the orchestra and answered by a short bass recitative. The soloist takes up the opening motto, presenting it lyrically yet passionately. The solo line seamlessly threads its way into related material, sounding very much like passages of the Dvorák Cello Concerto, and eventually offers a songful second subject.   Koussevitzky dwells on this Dvorákian material without providing a full development, then fashions a modest bridge to the andante, which sounds much like an aria from a Tchaikovsky opera.  Here, for the first time, the composer periodically takes the instrument into its lower range, but only briefly, usually in the course of weaving the melody up and down the staff.  For the most part, Koussevitzky exploits the instrument’s middle and upper ranges, where it projects better, and is careful not to let