Description

Sextdeciment was composed for 16 bassists from 12 countries and was premiered on 20 March 1997 at Kloster Michaelstein International Workshop in Germany, with a second performance the following …day.
Sextdecimet is a monumental and impressive work which features a solo for each bass alongside tutti passages which explore and exploit the entire range of the double bass. The music is primarily in four or eight parts and in a tonal and traditional style, with each stand/desk of two bassists playing the same part.
Sextdecimet is perfect for any massed double bass festival or workshop, playable with or without a conductor, and would be a spectacular finale to any concert. The bassists at the premiere were:
Desk 1 – Miloslav Gajdoš & Klaus Trumpf Desk 2 – Ovidiu Badila & Radoslav Šašina Desk 3 – Rudolf Senn & Hans Roelofsen Desk 4 – Petia Bagovska & Alexander Michno Desk 5 – Miloslav Jelínek & Markus Rex Desk 6 – Paul Erhard & Antal Szentirmai Desk 7 – David Heyes & Mette Hanskov
Desk 8 – Lev Rakov & Karoly Saru With a few small changes Sextdecimet can be performed by bass octet. Each bassist should play both solos for their desk but Solo 6 (Desk 3) should be played by Bass 1 (Desk 1), from bar 309 to the first beat of bar 333, when Bass 1 continues with Desk 1 music.