Music from the Sphinx is a humorous reaction to this famous quote from Arturo Toscanini: “I will die before getting to understand women and the intonation of the double basses.” As a woman and a double bassist, that must make me doubly difficult to understand! I must indeed be a sphinx. My musical journey has been to arrange, adapt and bring to life a range of repertoire that responds to Toscanini by turning the unknowable into the approachable. So what does a sphinx sound like? The Double Bass’s identity as proud and independent instrument has always been foggy and this album’s purpose is to give equal space and dignity to the instrument without the necessity to imitate or compete with other virtouso instruments (like a baritone pretending to sing Mozart’s “Queen of the Night”…). The chosen repertoire is an attempt to approach and clarify the potential of this instrument that even nowadays is still a big enigma, not only for Toscanini, but for the majority of listeners. A strong thematic link exists between all the composers. In their music, irony, humour and melancholy are constantly present: they are rebellious, dreamers, fighters and visionary humans. Their pieces are theatrical in nature, have a strong message and a story to tell (stories that are so far away from the apparent reality but that are so close in terms of feelings) and – perhaps most important of all – really wanted to communicate with a wide audience.
“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible” F. Zappa
[…]Booklet by Valentina Ciardelli