Bottesini: Fantasia on Rossini's Canzonette / Passione amorose / etc

These works for two double basses by Giovanni Bottesini date from his student days at the Milan Conservatory. The delightful Fantasia on themes of Rossini features an opening Tarantella, a lyrical middle section and a stormy finale. Passioni amorose, in three movements like the rhapsodic and pyrotechnically brilliant Concerto a Due Contrabbassi, begins with a light-hearted Allegro, followed by a lyrical Andante and a rondo Allegretto. The second of the Tre Grandi Duetti is recorded here in the original version for two three-stringed instruments.