Giovanni Bottesini: Fantasia Sonnambula (Naxos Audio CD)

Thomas Martin (double bass)
Anthony Halstead (piano)
Jacquelyn Fugelle (soprano)

Giovanni Bottesini, an accomplished and respected conductor, also enjoyed a globe-trotting career as “the Paganini of the double bass”.

For this recording manuscript sources have been used for his Fantasia on Bellini’s La sonnambula, Variations on Nel cor più non mi sento from Paisiello’s La molinara, arrangements of famous works such as Chopin’s Étude in C sharp minor, Op. 25 No. 7, the Air from Bach’s third Orchestral Suite and other pieces.

Volumes 1–3 of this series are available on 8.570397, 8.570398 and 8.570399.

“Thomas Martin’s comprehensive… survey of Bottesini’s hair-raising bravura works for double bass reaches Volume 4 with these impressive performances. Highly recommended.”
BBC Music Magazine on the disc’s original release