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Serge Koussevitzky: 150 years of the double bass virtuoso and conductor

2024-06-19T09:13:00

Serge_Koussevitzky,_between_1920_and_1950

July 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Serge Koussevitzky – the Russian-born double bass virtuoso turned music director, educator and mentor. Fellow double bassist and conductor Leon Bosch examines his hugely influential life

Serge Koussevitzky was an enigma. His status as a double bass soloist equalled that of his illustrious predecessors Domenico Dragonetti (1763–1846) and Giovanni Bottesini (1821–89). He was also a conductor who commanded the same reverence accorded to Toscanini and Stokowski, a passionate advocate for new music, an esteemed publisher, and a dedicated educator of and mentor to a generation of musicians…

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