Album Notes

Patrick Neher's career as a concert artist culminates in a new recording of 19th century pieces by Luigi Negri and Domenico Dragonetti. Both Negri and Dragonetti were especially gifted solo bass players as well as composers and touring artists, and Neher continues the tradition. The music on this CD "shows off" the bass and its player as sparklingly agile, virtuosic and innovative, with concert interpretations that are not only unique but are the first commercially available recording of these works. Heralded as one of the top contrabass solists of our time, Patrick Neher is also a professor of music at the University of Arizona, and he specializes in multi-media performances with his "Crossing Barriers Group" and his "MAAT Ensemble." For over 40 years Patrick Neher has been involved in music performance, with concert appearances around the world positively critiqued and describing him as "unique, innovative, and spontaneously musical." The CD, "Romanze e Valzer" is inspired by Italian Opera Buffa tradition and is dedicated to the bassist who discovered the Negri scores, Remo Ricci of Milan, Italy, and to Bertram Turetzky, of San Diego, who compiled and edited the Dragonetti from scores at the British Museum. With the gamut of human emotions on display, the music of Negri and Dragonetti have finally received their finest interpretations in the performances of Patrick Neher.