Tuomo Haapala . Music for the Deep Violin for Unaccompanied Double Bass or Cello. Double Bass Solo. Resident in Sweden for over 30 years, Finnish bassist-composer Tuomo Haapala is active in all styles of music - particularly contemporary, jazz and music theatre. His works for double bass (or cello) are effective and accessible, offering musical and technical challenges in equal measure. Scelsiana (dedicated to Giacinto Scelsi and Joelle Leandre) and 5 x 11th Lamentation are both extended soliloquies which easily ought to find their way into student and professional recitals. The remaining works are all miniature tone-poems or sound pictures, reflecting the Scandinavian landscapes and open spaces, requiring more than simply technique for a successful performance. '...Mr Haapala has written five new works for unaccompanied double bass (or cello) and has collected them together in a volume called MUSIC FOR THE DEEP VIOLIN...distinct sound worlds are delicate, atmospheric and evocative. The first in the collection is SCELSIANA, a work that pays homage to the Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi...This piece alludes to the music of the great master, but is not imitation Scelsi. It is very much it's own music...Written in traditional notation, it is to be played very freely, and the lack of bar lines will help the performer maintain feeling of long and continuous music. The colour contrasts between sul ponticello, ordinarion and tremolo are used to wonderful effect. The second work 5 x 11th LAMENTATION...is a gentle and delicate work. OUTDOOR LIFE 1 uses limited materials - a ringing D string, a couple of trills, one harmonic glissando and a few timbral changes from sul ponticello to ordinario. In this spartan world, the difference between a note with vibrato and a note without becomes an enormous event. OUTDOOR LIFE 2 consists of three lines of music making it one of the shortest pieces in the collection. However the inclusion of two measures that are repeated ad-lib means that the piece could have a very different feel and duration than the others. MINIATURES consists of short movements with evocative titles such as Movements in Rapid Waters, The Last Angels and The Delayed Tango. All of these movements are given tempo indications but it is not until the very last movement, The Continents Move in the Night, that a time signature appears. MUSIC FOR THE DEEP VIOLIN is not a collection of flashy, virtuosic show pieces. Rather, it is a collection of seriously beautiful works that ask for a deep focus and concentration from the performer. A player who rises to the special challenges that are presented here will be richly rewarded.' (ISB Bass World). Grade: 7 - Advanced