The Score | Low High Point

Violinists and pianists have an abundance of solo concertos to choose from. But double bassists? Not so much. Several years ago, North Carolina Symphony Principal Bass Leonid Finkelshteyn began prodding composer and bass trombonist Terry Mizesko to write a concerto for double bass. Mizesko—a member of the orchestra for 46 years until his retirement in 2017—and Finkelshteyn’s joking conversations gradually became serious, and this February, the orchestra presented the world premiere of Mizesko’s Concerto for Double Bass and String Orchestra. Mizesko, a North Carolina native, has previously composed and arranged numerous works for the orchestra. Finkelshteyn and Mizesko describe a collaborative process to composing the concerto, with Finkelshteyn reviewing drafts and making suggestions on what would best suit the technical abilities of the bass, and Mizesko singing phrases to convey the musical interpretation he envisioned. The work pays homage to Finkelshteyn’s Russian heritage through Eastern European-inspired themes and dance rhythms, with Classical Voice North Carolina’s review describing the piece as “a significant addition to a repertory that is minuscule in comparison with concerti for higher string instruments.”