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Luciano Berio's Sequenza XIVb Now Available for Double Bass

Feb. 01, 2006

Luciano BerioLuciano Berio's oeuvre continues to grow. As arranged prior to his passing in 2003, double bassist Stefano Scodanibbio has adapted Berio's Sequenza XIVb, originally written for cello, for double bass. On his experience with Berio and the origin of the new version, Scodanibbio writes:

I knew Berio for at least ten years.  He heard me in concert many times and once, in 1999, asked me to pay him a visit in his studio in Florence to show him the possibilities of the contrabass. He was very interested in my pieces for strings and since then always asked me to send him my recordings and scores. I remember, with great emotion, when, after hearing my Six Studies for solo double bass, he called me and left a message on my answering machine expressing his admiration and interest.
Stefano Scodanibbio
Since 2000/2001 Berio was talking about a Double Sequenza for cello and contrabass.  His first idea was to have them performed one after the other. But eventually he wrote the Cello Sequenza (XIV) which, in its final version, was performed by Rohan De Saram in 2003.  He sent me the score in April of the same year asking me to "reinvent" (that is the word he used) it for double bass.  He didn't want a transcription - this was very clear.  He expressly asked me to make a version for double bass using the new techniques he heard in my pieces. We were supposed to meet in June to work together and we had a couple of phone conversations before he died, at the end of May 2003.

Scodanibbio's recording of "Sequenza XIVb - Versione per Contrabbasso di Stefano Scodanibbio" is set for release in May 2006. More details to follow soon.

For more information on Berio and his works, please visit www.universaledition.com.

For more information on Stefano Scodanibbio please visit Elision Fields Artists Management at: www.elisionfields.com.

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