Simón García writes: “Gaelen MacCormick asked me to write a new piece to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the International Society of Bassists (ISB). The piece would be aimed at an ensemble of young bassists where all players of different ability levels could play together and should contain a well-known quote from the double bass, Repertoire. Thinking about the musicians who would play it I thought about using “The Elephant” by Camille Saint-Säens, a piece that even the young bassists would know.

I had written quotes in two previous works so for this special celebration I thought of writing an original work inspired by the Saint-Säens´s theme. After a mysterious introduction where nothing hints to the audience what they will hear, but little by little there appear elements of the Saint-Säens´s piece which become more evident and then I used fragments, in re-gradation and in different ways. The final result is a colourful work with different moods and both technical and musical challenges for the young players. In short, this is an up-to-date, personal and deconstructed vision of The Elephant, maybe similar to the one that Saint-Säens himself would have written if he had known the world of the double-bass of this 21st-century.”