David Garrett
David Garrett |
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David Garrett (born 4 September 1981, Aachen, Germany[1]) is a German-American classical violinist and recording artist.
Personal life
Garrett was born as David Bongartz in Aachen, Germany to an American mother and a German father.[2]
Musical education
When Garrett was four years old, his father bought a violin for his older brother. The young Garrett took an interest and soon learned to play. A year later, he took part in a competition and won first prize. By the age of seven, he was playing once a week in public. He studied violin at the Lubeck Conservatoire. At the age of 12, Garrett began working with the distinguished Polish violinist Ida Haendel, often traveling to London and other European cities to meet her. [citation needed]
At the age of 13, Garrett recorded two CDs, appeared on German and Dutch television, and gave a concert in the residence of the Federal Republic of Germany President, the Villa Hammerschmidt, at Dr. von Weizsäcker’s personal invitation. He was offered the use of the famous Stradivarius "San Lorenzo", which is among the best instruments of the "golden period". At the age of 14, as the youngest soloist ever, Garrett signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Aged 17, he played with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Zubin Mehta in Delhi and Mumbai in concerts marking the 50th anniversary of India’s Independence. [citation needed]
Two years later, Garrett played with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester in Berlin, under the direction of Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, and was hailed by critics. This led to an invitation to perform at Expo 2000 in Hannover. He continued his studies at the Royal College of Music in London. At the age of 21, he was invited to perform at the BBC Proms. He graduated from the Juilliard School in 2004.
While studying at the Juilliard School in New York City, as one of the first students to study with Itzhak Perlman, Garrett supplemented his income by working as a model. Some fashion writers have described him as "the David Beckham of the classical scene".[3]
Violin Accident
In December 2007, Garrett fell after a performance and smashed his Guadagnini violin, which he had purchased four years earlier for US$1 million.[3]
After this incident initial news reports erroneously stated that the smashed violin was San Lorenzo, a Stradivarius violin, this was later denied by Garrett.
Discography/Recent Career
Garrett's latest release of "Encore" at DECCA pursues an aim of arousing young people’s interest in classical music. The release contains arrangements and compositions of his own of pieces and melodies that have accompanied him in his life so far.
Together with his band, consisting of keyboard, guitar and drums, he gives concerts that include classical sonatas (accompanied by a concert grand piano), arrangements, and compositions, as well as Nothing Else Matters by Metallica which was performed on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) presentation "David Garret: Live in Berlin" recorded in January of 2009. [citation needed]
In Autumn 2007, Garrett was chosen by the “Montegrappa” firm (whose articles are distributed by Montblanc throughout the world) as an ambassador for the launch of the new pens from the "Tributo ad Antonio Stradivari" collection. The event will take place in several different venues, including Rome, New York, Hong Kong, Berlin, and London. On this occasion, Garrett has been offered a Stradivarius from the “Gli Archi di Pallazzo Comunale” collection. [citation needed]
Garrett also joined the 9th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers. [4]
Studio Albums
- Free (2007)
- Virtuoso (2007)
- Encore (2008)
- David Garrett (2009)
- Classic Romance (2009)
Other Albums
- Nokia Night of the Proms (2004)
- The New Classical Generation 2008 (2008)
Featured
- 2008: Tenor at the Movies - "Parla Piu Piano" (theme from The Godfather) and "Se" (theme from Cinema Paradiso) with Jonathan Ansell
- 2008: A New World - "Cinema Paradiso" with Will Martin
Live DVD
References
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Classic FM biography
- ^ a b Wagner, Thomas (2008-02-14). "Violinist: Fall Fractures $1M Fiddle". The Associated Press. Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- ^ Independent Music Awards - 9th Annual Judges