Roger Derongé

My Bass and I

'My bass and I'. It could be the title of a children's book about the close friendship between a boy and his bass tuba. And such a friendship it actually is, the friendship between Bernd van Echelpoel and his tuba.

He is so attached to that large, impressive instrument that he regularly asks composers to write a new work, customised to his tuba. He also regularly searches Flemish music libraries in search of unknown and unfamiliar works. For instance, he has performed many premieres of unknown oeuvres for tuba solo in the Benelux.

Bernd van Echelpoel also asked Roger Derongé to write a work for him. 'My bass and I' became a composition in two movements. After a soft melody, in which the soloist, because of the many high notes, must have an excellent physical condition, follows a second movement, starting in South-American style, genre Bossa Nova, then the work takes on a somewhat 'Funky' character with many dissonant chords, to end in a lively, fast dance.