The Double Bass

‘You can have an orchestra without a first violin, without wind instruments, without brass, without a timpani, but you can't have an orchestra without a double bass.’

In Patrick Süskind's much-loved one-act play ‘The Double Bass’ (Der Kontrabaß), the playwright portrays a life gone wrong with humour and irony, interpreted by actor Viktor Klem.

The Double Bass (Der Kontrabaß) is a direct conversation between musician and spectator. The double bass player is honest about his life, his love, his relationship with music and society, his weaknesses, and even plays on his instrument in between his monologues.

The musician protagonist believes his instrument to be the most important in an orchestra, even though one couldn’t tell. Throughout his solitary reflections, it becomes clear that he, in fact, hates his double bass and that the instrument itself is the main cause of all his frustrations. The question is whether he can change his life and finally get the attention of his secretly adored young soprano singer.

‘The protagonist of the original work is exactly twice my age. But the questions and problems he raises are as much for a young man of today as for an experienced musician about to retire…’ /Viktor Klem/

‘The bass player knows his own limits, has accepted the role he has been given, but retains the desire to shout loudly in the orchestra pit, and then, if only for a second, everyone will finally listen to him, and him alone.’ /Viktor Klem/

Runtime: 1 hour 10 minutes, without intermission.

Performed in Hungarian with English subtitles.