Divertimento concertante for Double Bass and Orchestra

Composer: Rota, Nino

Saksala, Janne

Tinoco Cacho, David

Catalogue Number: RSS16075_4

At the beginning of the masterclass, Professor Saksala comments on several changes that the composer introduced after the publication of the score. He plays several passages of the Divertimento to show the student some aspects, such as dynamics, attacks and bow strokes and articulation. Some passages have to sound more fluid. When there are several notes on the same bow, it is better to give them more weight. There are two types of string changes: fast and slow, the slow change comes from the shoulder and the fast one from the forearm (elbow rotation is needed). They work on both changes very slowly, so that the student assimilates each movement of his body. Saksala comments about Nino Rota. The student should maintain a correct head position while playing.

The Professor proposes changes of fingerings in several passages and different bowings. He talks about the appropriate moments to use martele and how to do it. Saksala writes annotations on the score about slurs, upbeats and articulations. The energy should be rationed from the start to the finish of the piece.