Interview & Stunning solo Performance with Nikita Naumov

In this video, we meet Nikita Naumov – Principal Double Bass of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. This fascinating interview includes discussion of all aspects of Nikita’s career, including his journey from growing up in Kazakhstan to studying in St Petersburg and London, before landing his job in the SCO in Edinburgh; studying with Rinat Ibragimov and Thomas Martin; technique and bow hold; orchestral and solo playing; his recommendations for younger students and so much more. If you’re a student of classical double bass, there is a lot of valuable advice in here that you don’t want to miss.

At the end of the interview, there is an incredible solo performance of Motivy by Emil Tabakov, so make sure you catch that.

If you enjoy this video, check out our interview with Nikita and Jamie Kenny where they perform Dave Anderson’s Seven Double Bass Duets in full.

Meet Nikita

Nikita Naumov is an inspiring classical double bassist currently based in Edinburgh. After studying at the Rimskiy-Korsakov Conservatoire and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, he was appointed Principal Double Bass of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and has held the position for over 14 years. As well as this, he has worked with many of the finest orchestras and played as a guest principal with the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra.

Nikita also regularly appears as a soloist, performing works such as Hallgrímsson’s Sonnambulo for Double Bass, Koussevitzky’s Double Bass Concerto, Bottesini’s Concerto alla Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, and many more.

Andrew is a really unique artist who’s music fuses Celtic, jazz and classical influences. We were thrilled to welcome him to the studio to share his story, his approach to the double bass and a beautiful solo performance. He is a friend of the Scottish Bass Trust with whom he often performs recitals. He is a virtuosic player and it was a joy to meet him in person filming this interview and performance.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction
01:14 Getting into the SCO
03:05 First musical experiences
07:41 From Kazakhstan to St Petersburg
09:39 Rinat Ibragimov and Thomas Martin
12:44 Learning from Rinat
14:38 Putting videos online
17:57 Gut strings and Nikita's strings
19:39 Sitting posture
22:33 Nikita's bow grip
24:40 Nikita's basses
28:56 Playing in the SCO
31:42 What do you look for in younger players?
33:47 Nikita's solo playing
35:40 Bass Duo with Jamie Kenny
36:52 Scottish Bass Trust
39:47 Nikita's advice for younger students
41:08 The importance of online presence
45:16 Solo performance