Michael Bochmann & David Watkins

Michael Bochmann & David Watkins reviews

“Even after the first pieces, the audience was already in their hands. These grandiose musicians did not only play superlatively, not only matched each other beautifully, but radiated so much joy that the audience was immediately overwhelmed.”
“Michael Bochmann played two dances from a suite by Johann Sebastian Bach, a thoughtful Sarabande and a furious gigue which he almost danced.”
“The second part consisted of fourteen well known short pieces arranged by Watkins and Bochmann. Traditional tunes, arias, caprices and meditations and also folk melodies from England and Ireland which made the audience so happy that the
musicians played three encores.”

“The inventive arrangements of folk tunes as well as heart-warming performances of such legends as the Intermezzo from Mascagni's Cavelleria Rusticana provided a cornucopia of absolute gems.”
“They were brilliantly and sensitively crafted, mirroring orchestral textures one moment and dissolving into mellifluous solo lines the next.”
“This concert was indeed Sacred and Profane, the profanity being the lively rapport that the musicians were establishing with the audience, the sacred, the divinity of the music they created together. We were certainly treated to this juxtaposition in the
programming of Paganini's Devil's Laugh, followed seamlessly with Watkins' rippling top strings introducing the mesmerising Bach/Gounod Ave Maria - the latter being as if in benediction of the former. We felt as if we were witnessing the birth of an elusive strand of pure creativity from two souls intertwined by their music-making.”
“Both Bochmann and Watkins richly deserve their stellar international reputations.”

“There are recitals which overrun, those which are dull and uninteresting and even ones where the performance leaves something to be desired. This enchanting duo showed, in the space of one hour exactly, just how the job should be done.”
“First and foremost, of course, Michael Bochmann and David Watkins are highly accomplished players, in perfect empathy and ensemble. Secondly, they had carefully planned a programme of great variety, which had something for just about
everyone, and which didn't need cropping on the day.”
“Most importantly, however, both players clearly savoured every note of their programme, whether a Vivaldi sonata, an old chestnut such as Bach's Air on the G String or one of David's highly-entertaining folk song arrangements, and communicated their obvious delight to the packed audience.”
“Spoken introductions were always anecdotal, and to the point, and were just the right length to keep the momentum going.”
“In a programme of some 14 items, it would be hard to pick a single highlight. There was the exotic Peruvian soundscape in Andres Sas's Siembra, the effective use of violin harmonies in The Foggy, Foggy Dew, the rich harp sonorities of Zabel's Sad
Marguerite at the Spinning Wheel or the glorious violin tone in Massenet's Meditation from Thaïs.”
“Perhaps it was just that this recital's unmitigated success was simply down to the sum of its two performers.”

“An outstanding concert was given by Michael Bochmann, violin and David Watkins, harp on Friday November 22 at Coed y Celyn Hall. The well-chosen programme included original music for violin and harp by Spohr and Saint-Saëns, also David Watkins own composition for solo harp, a Petite Suite of three pieces, Prelude, Nocturne and Fire Dance, played by David. Michael Bochmann gave a virtuoso performance of Two Caprices by the legendary violinist, Paganini, and earlier works by Bach. The well-known Meditation from Thaïs, by Massenet and an account of Sarasate's sparkling Zigeunerweisen arranged by David Watkins for violin and harp, ended this special recital by two outstanding artists.”