Selections from Détaché (2024)………………………………………………Ernst Glerum (b. 1955)

Program Notes

1. Pavane

2. Elegie

3. Psaume

4. Aria

5. Impromptu

6. Promenade

10. Symphonie

The word “detaché” in string playing has two meanings: firstly, the direction of the bow is “back and forth” or alternating down and up bows, and secondly that the sound is full, broad, connected and fluid, without noticeable, accents, space, or separation between the notes. These meanings heavily influenced the decision-making process when choosing bowings and for this performance. The selected movements from Ernst Glerum’s Détaché are a series of character pieces that expand on and even satirize the often-performed compositional forms within the European Art Music canon. These brief and delightful movements each set a mood from playful to mournful and take the very concept of a recital and turn it on its head. It is traditional for the soloist, in this case, the double bassist, to be musically “elevated” above their pianist or accompanist in a hierarchical fashion. Instead, throughout Détaché, Glerum interweaves the two instrument parts into a conversation reflecting a poignant critique of the hierarchies usually embedded within traditional Western Art Music. In the first movement, Pavane, the melody is hidden within the piano accompaniment, while the double bassist, ostensibly the soloist plays only accompaniment figures throughout the whole movement. The satire, however, should not be misconstrued as sarcasm or disdain; the joke is playful rather than heavy handed.

Détaché is a love letter to the double bass, and to the double bass repertoire, with many warm references to the solo and orchestral double bass repertoire throughout the work. Pavane features the technical achievements of the performer in this understated accompaniment by using harmonics, high notes that are played by only lightly touching the string with the left hand. The use of harmonics is a nod to one of the most famous double bass soloists, Giovanni Bottesini who was an incredibly influential performer, composer, and conductor in the 19 th Century. A reviewer of one of his concerts wrote that it sounded like he had trapped “one thousand nightingales” inside his bass, referring to Bottesini’s use of harmonics. One of the most dearly beloved of all Bottesini’s compositions is his Elegie, and Glerum’s second movement refers to this work with the pulsing heartbeat figure in the piano part. Though the melody of Glerum’s Elegie bears no resemblance to Bottesini’s tune, this heartbeat figure is a clear reference and homage to the piece. As in all the selected movements, Glerum also reimagines the harmony in a most refreshing and approachable manner.

In Psaume, anyone familiar with the psalms of the Lutheran tradition will recognize a reference to “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” which was also quoted in Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5, a staple of the orchestral repertoire well known to orchestral double bassists. In Aria, listeners will hear a theme stated three times followed by a change of character at the end, a subversion of the “aria form” (ABA form) that most pieces of that title follow. Impromptu and Promenade feature some of the most interesting harmonies of the selected movements. In the continued strategic non-fulfillment of expectations, Promenade as a form usually refers to a stately parading walk, while this walk feels more like a windswept or forlorn stroll by the coast of Maine in the manner depicted by Wyeth. There is a continued pattern of the composer subtlety undermining what is expected from the movement’s titles, yet the sheer beauty of the piece allows the subterfuge to feel gorgeously inviting and accessible while being harmonically modern and unexpected.

We have chosen to omit movements 7. Courante, 8. Pavillon, and 9. Chanson Triste for the sake of time, but again each movement subverts expectations consistent with the rest of the piece. The closing movement is Symphonie, the repertoire most often performed by professional double bassists, once again transformed by Glerum’s creativity. We hope you are as delighted by Détaché as we are to perform it for you.