At Sofia Opera and Ballet arrived the brothers Ralph and Michael Krahmer, successors of the company “Pöllmann”, which manufactures the famous all over the world double basses. Especially great was the excitement among the musicians at the Opera, who received for season 2013/2015 five brand new double basses, specially manufactured to order for the orchestra of Sofia Opera and Ballet from the company “Pöllmann”. The double basses sounded for the first time at the premiere of the opera “Aida”, on 15 October 2013, because in it Giuseppe Verdi wrote a special solo for a group of double basses.

The two brothers make every six months a prophylactic examination of their instruments, which they sell all over the world. “The prophylactic examination is necessary because of the constant moving of the instruments, shared Ralph Krahmer, because of the climatic changes in the orchestra pit, because of their amortization and others.” “We think highly of our name and our glorious tradition, added Michael Krahmer. Not by chance our registered trademark is a lion with a crown, which supports with its paws a double bass. This brand is on the instrument’s scroll, on its back and inside of it”.

The German company “Pöllmann” was established in the distant 1888. Since then until this day the Pöllmann masters – at present the Krahmer family, are famous as some of the best masters for manufacture of double basses. The company has many international awards for best sound of the instruments. Some of the best-known orchestras and performers in the world use instruments of the company “Pöllmann”.

The instruments are entirely handmade. The characteristic of the new double basses is that they have one-piece top and back. The work is very hard. This special feature has a great importance about the quality of sound. The masters use tone aged wood – maple or spruce. The manufacture of such double bass takes over 350 hours.

The new instruments which Sofia Opera and Ballet purchased in 2013 for its orchestra are: five double basses, brand “Gamba”, an entire brass group renovated horns, trumpets, trombones, tuba, a full set new percussion instruments and timpani, 4 new Wagner tubas, English horn, contrabassoon and others. They will be used also during the spectacles of the tetralogy “Der Ring des Nibelungen”.  The dates of the performances are: “Das Rheingold” – 23 July; “Die Walküre” – 24 July; “Siegfried” – 26 July, и “Götterdämmerung” – 29 July.