"Classical music is now in a crisis," says the Mexican double bassist Luis Angüis, a frequent soloist, and currently a member of the Sinaloa Symphony Orchestra of the Arts (OSSLA). "My hope, my goal, is to play a part in preserving this vital art form." Those of us who have followed Angüis's career have confidence in his ability to achieve his goal. His talents were on full display during two concerts this past spring in Mexico City, one at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the other at the National Conservatory of Music. As a soloist with the Bellas Artes Chamber Orchestra, Angüis performed the technically challenging Double Bass Concerto in F-sharp Minor by Serge Koussevitsky, who, in addition to leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949, was a virtuoso double bassist.

Another recent career highlight was Angüis's performance in the world premiere of Elegy for double bass and piano by Alberto Portillo, in February 2023, as part of the chamber music program of the OSSLA. The work was written for, and dedicated to Angüis. Luis Angüis's virtuosity is remarkable - all the more so on an instrument whose cumbersome size makes it harder to play passages that flow with greater ease on a violin, viola or cello. But in addition to virtuosity, there is artistry. Angüis performs with the expressive lyricism one seldom equates with the double bass. Particularly impressive is his ability to navigate the instrument's high register.

Luis Angüis began his musical studies at the Superior School of Music of Sinaloa, and his potential was immediately apparent. In 2009, on a scholarship, he joined the Carlos Chávez Youth Symphony Orchestra, and meanwhile took classes with Klaus Stoll, the double bass first chair of the Berlin Philharmonic. Three years later, he moved to London, and studied with two other first chair players - Thomas Martin, of the London Symphony, and Damián Rubido Gonzales, of the Birmingham Symphony. Then, in France, he rounded out his studies with Thierry Barbe, double bass first chair at the Paris Opera - though "rounded out" is not quite right. Musicians with Angüis's level of dedication never stop learning and studying.

In the world of jazz - a genre in which Angüis is equally comfortable - double bass players have more opportunities to distinguish themselves. In classical music, most people think of the instrument as the deep, thumping workhorse that gives the orchestra more weight and heft. Angüis deserves all the more credit for proving - as Domenico Dragonetti and Giovanni Bottesini did in the 18th and 19th centuries - that a classical double bassist can shine as a soloist.

Fredric Dannen