This piece was commissioned by the Dutch Double Bass Festival for its 2023 edition and conducted by Leon Bosch. The execution of this project was possible thanks to the contributions from the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and VandenEnde Foundation.

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Music for Basses (Black Lotus) is a 21 minutes composition for 60 double bass players and 2 percussionists. This work intends to create an architecture of sound, and it does so by proposing a special placement of the instruments. The 60 double bass players are divided in two rings of 30 players each. The first ring is placed on the ground floor forming a circle, while the second ring does the same but this time being placed one level above them. The audience is encircled by these two rings, surrounded by the fullness and richness of the double bass sound. It also displaces the concert music experience outside of the concert hall, with the potential of claiming other spaces such churches, warehouses or foyers.

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The piece is divided into two parts: the first 6 minutes are the presentation of the double bass ensemble as an orchestral set-up, making full use of the spatial possibilities of moving sound. The second one is a long 15 minutes adagio that focuses on timbre and time perception, using recognisable harmonic structures that gradually vary in intonation, texture, and density. Click to see the video of the live performance What made this project very special was the international collaboration between conservatoires from eight different countries: Austria, Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain and United Kingdom.