A Feast for Guitar Aficionados
Concert review by Bernd Geisler
Bergische Morgenpost, Remscheid, Germany (January 4, 2008)
Professor Dieter Kreidler, artistic director of the International Bergische Guitar Festival 2008 at the Remscheid Academy was obviously glad, to welcome a participant of the very first festival that took place 30 years ago, to perform the opening concert of this years festival.
Thomas Koch, a former student of Professor Dieter Kreidler as well as Professor Alfred Eickholt, now lives and works in the USA, where he performs as soloist, chamber musician (with Trio Voilá), and with orchestras.
In the tradition of the Guitar Festival at the Remscheid Academy - the first festival dates back to 1978 - Thomas Koch will be teaching some of the 80 participating students in a master class.
During his concert, Koch impressed us with his soft and sensual tone, even more he didn’t leave out the lively and virtuoso scale work. On his program was the Sonata op. 23 by the Czech composer Wenzel Matiegka (1773-1830), “In Flowerland” and “The Blond Beauty” by the American Albert Weidt and after an intermission, Sonata op.15 and “Rossiniana” op.119 by the Italian Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829).
The attentive audience was impressed by Koch’s performance, his artistic expression and his virtuosity. The capacity audience was very knowledgeable about the guitar and its performance, which created a certain atmosphere and feel.
Koch introduced the music with a few helpful explanations, like for example that the Matiegka sonata is based on a Franz-Josef Haydn sonata for piano with the addition of a rondo by Matiegka. “Flowerland”, a reverie, the “Blond Beauty” turns out to be a hesitation waltz and Giuliani’s “Rossiniana” is a potpourri of opera melodies that were treated with variations and embellishments.
It was noticeable that Koch had spent an intensive period of time with these works; he gave each note the space it deserved. The guitar stood in the spotlight, less the guitarist. His interpretations sounded original without being secluded, conclusive without being overly dramatic, sensual without being transfigured, and open without being dissecting.
Koch combined tone and technique to a harmonies whole, a feast for guitar aficionados, and ear candy for the friends of classical music.