Vienna Basso Profondo Choir

Feel the power and mysticism of the choir’s deepest voices!

Basso profondo, an Italian term meaning “deep bass”, refers to the lowest range of the bass voice type in classical music. These voices are distinguished by their rich, resonant, and profoundly deep vocal quality. They stand out for their ability to reach the lower limits of the human vocal range, typically encompassing notes as low as two octaves below middle C (C2) or even lower.

The experience of hearing six contrabass singers fill Synchron Stage Vienna’s vast hall with the robust sound of a low C is undeniably mesmerizing. Basso Profondo singers, also called oktavists, sometimes sing an octave below the bass part as soloists, and to capture an entire ensemble of these exceptionally gifted vocalists was a special treat for everybody on the Vienna team!

As with the Vienna Boys Choir, the idea for this Collection was born after the production of choral recordings for the Amazon Prime fantasy series “The Rings of Power”, the prequel to “Lord of the Rings”. The essential element in Bear McCreary’s score is the use of choirs, which were recorded at Synchron Stage Vienna in 2020 and 2021. At first, the Vienna team questioned whether they could fulfill the composer’s wish for a basso profondo choir. However, working in the musical city of Vienna has its advantages and soon they were able to assemble an astounding ensemble of bass vocalists who were prepared to offer their talents in a choir, not only for the score recordings, but also for the creation of a sample library.

The enthusiasm of the artists is palpable in the recordings of this library. It was a completely new experience not only for the Vienna team, but also for the singers to be able to explore the depths of their voices together as an ensemble. The pitch range of this unique ensemble spans from a very low A1 to A#3.

Articulations include short notes, long notes, legatos and marcatos of the vowels AA (ah) and UU (oo), also sung espressivo, sforzato, as short and long crescendos, and as short and long diminuendos. There’s also humming as well as a variety of consonants in combination with short and long vowels. What’s more, the wide range of lower register effects and articulations such as “om”, “hey”, deep shouting, prayer-like performances, rises and falls, laughs, creepy sounds, clusters, and others make this unique library a treasure trove of archaic and other-worldly human sounds.