About the work
"Der Kontrabass" ("The Double Bass") is a one-act monologue by Patrick Süskind, his literary debut and to date his only work for the stage. Written in 1980, it was first broadcast as a radio play on Süddeutscher Rundfunk and premiered on stage on 22 September 1981 at Munich's Cuvilliés-Theater with Nikolaus Paryla. The book edition was published by Diogenes in 1984.
Plot
An unnamed double bassist in a mediocre orchestra holds forth, in his soundproofed flat, about his bulky, unglamorous instrument, which he alternately hails as the "crown of creation" and curses as the ruin of his life. Between self-pity and delusions of grandeur, he keeps returning to his unfulfilled, imagined love for the soprano Sarah, whom he knows only from a distance. Nothing changes in the end: his isolation and insignificance within the orchestra remain exactly as they were.
Cultural significance
Thanks to its minimal staging requirements – one actor, one double bass – the play quickly conquered German-language stages and has since been translated into some 28 languages. It is regarded as Süskind's literary breakthrough, predating the worldwide success of his novel "Perfume" (1985), and remains one of the most frequently performed German-language plays.