Der Kontrabaß

He is the heart of the orchestra, the pulse of the music, the undisputed king of all compositions: the nameless protagonist in Patrick Süskind’s The Double Bass is consumed by love and reverence for his instrument. However, as his blood alcohol level rises, his true feelings gradually come to the surface, and he launches into tirades of hatred against the “filthy box.” Loneliness and the unfulfilled longing for the soprano Sarah complement the double bassist’s embittered emotional world. A psychological portrait unfolds of a man who was never allowed to play what he truly feels.

With disarming honesty, tragicomic force, and razor-sharp observation, Süskind’s text delves deep into the inner tensions of his protagonist. What begins as an ironically fragmented portrait of a musician grows into an intense reflection on social invisibility, suppressed passion, and the loneliness within one’s own mind. The Double Bass becomes a metaphor—for what we carry around with us, even though it weighs us down.

Patrick Süskind was born in 1949 in Ambach on Lake Starnberg. He became best known for his international bestseller Perfume, but as early as 1981 he caused a sensation with The Double Bass.Süskind’s precise language, his subtle humor, and his ability to reveal the depths of everyday characters set him apart as a master of psychological storytelling.