Brussels Philharmonic bassist, Thomas Fiorini realizes his dream: a bass guitar concerto. The vinyl will be out on May 6th, but today you can already listen to the full album via your favourite streamingplatform. Also available as immersive audio on Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music. 

The bass guitar is not the first instrument that comes to mind when one thinks of classical music. Since its invention in 1951 by Leo Fender, the bass guitar has proven to be indispensable in virtually every genre of modern popular music. In comparison to other more traditional instruments such as the piano or violin, which evolved over centuries, the bass guitar has in a relatively short period of time blossomed into a well-respected and beloved instrument. At its origin, the bass guitar combined the function of the double bass with the design of an electric guitar. Yet, even with no predetermined methodology or historical pedagogy, the bass guitar in the hands of a capable player has a limitless sonic palate and technical possibilities.

In 2019, bassist Thomas Fiorini, in cooperation with The Brussels Philharmonic, commissioned Belgian composer Robert Groslot to write a concerto for the bass guitar. Recorded in May of 2021, the concerto stands as a towering achievement. In the capable hands of Fiorini, Groslot’s composition springs to life. Equally at home on the double bass and the bass guitar, and effortlessly able to cross musical boundaries, Fiorini is uniquely suited for this composition. His mission is to present the bass guitar as a legitimate solo instrument within the genre of contemporary classical music. Given his love of the bass guitar and dedication to the composition, his dream of bringing the bass guitar into the classical concert hall has been strikingly realized.

Groslot’s Concerto for Bass Guitar and Orchestra is a masterful dialogue between the soloist and the orchestra on the level of historic masterworks. Groslot composes for this unconventional instrument as though it had centuries of tradition behind it. He pushes the soloist to the heights of technical virtuosity but never at the expense of musicality. Groslot is not the first composer to write for the bass guitar in contemporary music. However, given his boundless talents as a world-class pianist and composer, he delivers a composition for the bass guitar that will serve as the cornerstone of an evolving solo repertoire for the instrument.

Tracklist

Concerto for Bass Guitar and Orchestra:
I. Agitato (07:44)
II. Canzone (07:23)
III. Intermezzo (03:05)
IV. Finale (06:37)