Michael Kurth: Verbunkociousness for violin and double bass

About the Composition

Verbunkociousness is a virtuosic duet for violin and double bass (in standard tuning), about four minutes long. I wrote it for Tracy Woodard, an Atlanta friend/violinist/superhero activist and advocate for the homeless.

I will donate 50% of my proceeds from the sale of this work to her non-profit Mad Housers, who build shelters for the homeless. Or just donate directly at madhousers.org.

A verbunkos is a Hungarian folk dance that began as a way that hussars would recruit men into the army of the Hapsburg Empire because apparently prospective recruits were easily convinced that a soldiering career mostly involved fancy costumes and dancing. And  Wikipedia thinks it's important to know that spur-clicking was involved.

Wikipedia, stop, you had me at "spur-clicking."

About the Composer

Kurth has been a member of the Atlanta Symphony bass section since 1994. 

The ASO has commissioned and premiered many of his orchestral and choral works. A recording on the ASO Media label is scheduled for commercial release on CD and digital platforms in February 2019, including Everything Lasts Forever, A Thousand Words, May Cause Dizziness, and Miserere featuring Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor.

He frequently collaborates with Atlanta poet Jesse Breite on vocal works, including Miserere, Tenebrae, and Magnificat.

He was named “Best New Composer” by Atlanta Magazine in 2017. He has been awarded Artist-in-Residence fellowships from the Hermitage and Serenbe.

Many Atlanta-area artists have commissioned and performed his works, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus, the Atlanta Chamber Players, the Atlanta Young Singers, the Gwinnett Young Singers, the Morehouse College Glee Club, the Peachtree String Quartet, the Franklin Pond String Quartet, the Atlanta Contemporary Ensemble, Concert Artist Guild Award-winning violist Jennifer Stumm, the Georgia Sinfonia, the Atlanta Community Symphony Orchestra, the DeKalb Symphony, the Georgia State University Wind Ensemble, and movement artists gloATL.

He teaches bass at Emory University.