The Master of 3/4 Time
Westdeutsche Zeitung,
Wuppertal, Germany, July 16, 2005
by Hartmut Sassenhausen
Guitarist Thomas Koch visits Elberfeld
"Before
guitarist Thomas Koch moved via France to the United
States, Alfred Eickholt and Dieter Kreidler at the
Wuppertal Conservatory were amongst his first teachers. Now
he honored the city with a recital at the Old Reformed
Church (Church in the City) in Elberfeld with a demanding
program from Baroque to contemporary. Already with Prelude,
Fuge and Allegro (BWV 998) for lute by Johann Sebastian
Bach the former student of Alberto Ponce showed his
exceptional class. He clearly brought out the polyphonic
structure of this three part composition with a quiet,
round and flowing tone. With great nuance, he interpreted
the C-major Sonata op.15 and the first Rossiniana by the
famous classical composer and guitar virtuoso Mauro
Giuliani. Hispanic folkloristic patterns resonated in John
King’s “Ca’d’Zan” and Paul Fetler’s “Folia Lirica”. The
pieces were dedicated to the interpreter by the two
American composers and Koch let the music shine with a rich
sound, a lot of esprit and a dynamic tone creation. With
“The Blond Beauty” by Albert Weidt he showed us that he is
equally a master of 3/4 time, even though the Viennese
charm seemed a little academic. With a short, elegant
French piece Thomas Koch thanked the audience for the
heartfelt applause."