Hindemith, P. - Sonata for Double Bass and Piano

"I had the great fortune of working with Hindemith during my student days at the Juilliard School. I was immensely impressed by his lyrical musical demands I was his bassist in his chamber opera 'Back and Forth' and by his most extraordinarily perceptive ear. He seemed to be able to hear absolutely everything at once, a quality rare to most conductors! Like Haydn, his music has suffered terribly from overly academic performances and, like Haydn, his music is basically very lyrical and highly charged with emotion. This was apparent in working with him, and also very evident when I heard Walter Trampler perform his unaccompanied viola works. It certainly changed by concept of his double bass sonata..."

-Gary Karr, on Paul Hindemith

Bass News (Summer 2000/No.24)