”Then there's bass,” rapped DR's legendary sports commentator Gunnar ’Nu’ Hansen when he released the football song ’Rap Nu (We Are Danish Dynamite)’ in 1984.
The Friends of DR's Choirs and Orchestras could almost have exclaimed the same thing on Monday evening. Two different basses were honoured in two different ways with prizes of DKK 20,000 each in connection with the association's general meeting.
This year, the annual awards for DR musicians and singers went to double bassist and concertmaster Joel Gonzalez from the DR Symphony Orchestra and Johan Karlström, second bass in the DR Vocal Ensemble.
”Few double bassists are able to bring the great instrument to its feet like Joel Gonzalez, and his playing is imbued with elegance, melodic charm and agility. These are musical qualities that have made him highly sought after - also as a soloist and chamber musician alongside his work in the Danish National Symphony Orchestra,” was the motivation for awarding Joel Gonzalez one of the Friends' prizes.
The double bassist was also called ”a team player to the core” with warm and deep respect for the colleagues he works with.
Joel Gonzalez was born on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico where, after a few years as a guitarist and electric bassist, he started playing double bass at the age of 14. He went on to study in Xalapa, Mexico, Berlin and Copenhagen, and in 2002, while still studying, he played his way into the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, where he has held the title of principal double bass soloist since 2014. Along the way, he has also received several awards and won several international competitions.
The second award winner was Johan Karlström, who is a rare second bass in the DR Vokalensemblet.
”Duck basses are a rare breed that are in great demand in the professional ensembles of the world. Johan has already travelled far and wide with his beautiful, deep and sonorous voice. He sang in the Swedish Radio Choir before coming to Denmark and was part of the start-up of the DR Vocal Ensemble back in 2007, where he fortunately accepted a permanent position in 2008,” read the motivation, which went on to say:
”With his warm, soft and booming voice, he sends waves of wellbeing through the audience, and anyone who has experienced it will agree that it's an experience you won't soon forget!”
The two recipients acknowledged the awards with music and song at the general assembly. Together with Julie Tandrup Kock, Joel Gonzalez offered music by Silesian-Danish double bassist Franz Keyper and Mexican composer and singer Tomás Méndez. Together with DR Big Band pianist Henrik Gunde, Johan Karlström performed ’My One And Only Love’, ’A Foggy Day’, ’My Funny Valentine’ and ’Smile’, which Charlie Chaplin incidentally wrote the music for.
The purpose of Venneforeningen for DR's Kor og Orkestre is first and foremost to support DR's choirs and orchestras in their role as ambassadors for Danish music and music culture - both in Denmark and abroad, and the chairman is the now former DR journalist Mogens Rubinstein.