Only two measures still exist of Franz Joseph Haydn’s Concerto per il violone (Contrabasso) from 1763. But that seemingly was enough for our faculty double bassist Sam Suggs  (as he notes in his notes, as aspiring as they come), to imagine a completely-formed three-movement concerto very much in a historically authentic Haydnesque style.  Or, as he also says in his introduction, “as a musical paleontologist, [two measures] is the tooth of a dinosaur. So I needed to figure out what this dinosaur ate.”

As Sam relates, he did enough figuring over the space of a decade to come up with a realization/recreation that is nothing short of astonishing. See and hear what Suggs wrought in this 2021 performance from the Heifetz Institute “Double Bass Showcase,” featuring Suggs – the first solo bassist in 36 years to join the Concert Artists Guild roster, and recognized with an award for Extraordinary Creativity at the 2017 Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Competition, as well as our remarkable faculty pianist Jessica X. Osborne.