A New Addition to Our Instrument Collection
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra has welcomed an extraordinary new instrument into its collection: a 1690 Giovanni Battista Rogeri double bass. Rare, resonant and rich in its history, the instrument represents a remarkable elevation in the Orchestra’s sound and an inspiring opportunity for our musicians as stewards of musical tradition.
Rogeri was born in Bologna and later moved to Brescia, a city in northern Italy with a proud tradition of lower-string instrument making. He trained in Cremona alongside Antonio Stradivari in the workshop of Nicolò Amati, placing him amongst the most skilled artisans of the time. Following a devastating bout of plague in the 1680s, which heavily affected Brescia’s community of luthiers, Rogeri became one of the key figures tasked with the continuation of his craft.
This particular double bass is exceptionally rare - believed to be one of only two original Rogeri basses left today. Its journey across centuries and continents is as compelling, as its sound. After Rogeri’s death, it became part of the great Tarisio collection of string instruments. It later passed through the hands of the renowned French collector and luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, before making its way to London in the nineteenth century. From there, it travelled to the United States, where it was played in the Cleveland Orchestra and later owned by Roger Scott, Principal Double Bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra. It was passed through symphony orchestras in Minnesota and Toronto before it was ultimately recommended as the best choice for the Sydney Symphony.
When the Orchestra was offered the chance to consider the instrument, Principal Double Bass Kees Boersma researched its history and qualities and felt immediately that it could be something very special. The bass was purchased for the Sydney Symphony by a generous donor, a gift of significant importance.
For an orchestra, instruments of this calibre form the core of the ensemble’s sound. A great instrument allows a musician to play with greater ease, emotion and imagination and form a connection where the end of the musician and beginning of the instrument is hard to distinguish. This Rogeri double bass possesses a beautifully warm and complex tone, with a richness of colours available across the register and the projection needed to be heard amongst the full symphonic texture. Kees describes the instrument “like a fine wine, its sound is layered, generous and full of nuance”.
The Sydney Symphony is honoured to be the next custodians of this magnificent piece of musical history and be sure to keep an ear out at future performances!