Fierce and Frolicsome - Rondo for Double Bass & Piano

Kubicka Fierce and Frolicsome -  Rondo for Double Bass & Piano

Miroslav Kubicka (*1951).
Fierce and Frolicsome - Rondo for double bass and piano.

The single-movement rondo for double bass and piano entitled Fierce and Frolicsome was written in the years 1997-1998. The work was inspired by the remarkable achievements of pupils studying the double bass under Miloslav Ledvinka, Kubicka's colleague at the Conservatoire.

While the piece is technically more demanding, its aim is to bring joy and pleasure to both performer and listener.  The light, playful character of the piece is enhanced by its animated side involving - against a background of frequent metre variation - the complementary rhythm of both instruments (characteristic of music from the first part which returns several times).  In contrast, the repetitive rhythmical and melodic figures in the piano or the exalted melodies in the solo instrument may seem uncompromising and wild.

The notation takes into account the re-tuning of the double-bass strings up a major second, as is customary for the double bass concert repertoire.