‘Concertino No.1 was written in 2011 and is originally for solo double bass and double bass quartet, where the quartet take the part of the orchestra. This is a very unusual instrumentation and it was written for a double bass chamber music concert by the Spanish Radio-Television Orchestra which never took place. It is dedicated to my good friend, Damian Arenas, a bassist with the orchestra.

Written in a tonal and accessible style, sometimes with the cool sound of film music, there are three contrasting movements. The first is a journey through different tonal centres with melodies which encompass deep energy and lyricism. The powerful tuttis and harmonies help to ‘transport you to mysterious and fantastic worlds.’ The second movement is more serene, with a Baroque-like introduction, developing into a drama produced by its harmony and rhythmic hemiolas.

The final movement is in a rondo form, with its principal melody repeated a number of times, and both the melodies and tuttis are full of great rhythmic energy and momentum. There are echoes of Piazzolla and Stravinsky in its neo-classical phrasing.’ [Simón García]

Concertino No.1 was premiered in Copenhagen’s Royal Opera House on 17 August 2012 by Thomas Martin (double bass) and piano. The orchestral version was premiered on 29 October 2012 by Diego Zecharies (double bass) in Salamanca (Spain) with the OSDA Orchestra.

Concertino No.1 was awarded an Honourable Mention in the International Society of Bassists 2012 Composition Competition. Robert Black commented: ‘Concertino No.1 for solo double bass and double bass quartet, by Simón Garíia, would be a lot of fun to play. In the first movement, the insistent rhythmic accompaniment of the quartet provides a nice foil for the cantabile melodies in the solo bass part.

Written in a tonal language, this Allegro moderato is full of excitement and drama. A slow Andante follows that has a restrained Baroque feel. As expected, there is a clear distinction between the melodic solo bass and the accompanying quartet. Movement 3 returns to a similar but different rhythmic and dramatic feel as we heard in the first movement. Concertino No.1 is a substantial work at 15 minutes.’