David Farmer is one of the most exciting and innovative exponents of the
classical accordion in the world today. Still in his 20's, his performances
have attracted praise from many of the world's leading instrumentalists
and he has become a highly sought-after musician. Since his debut in the
BBC Proms in 1998, he has performed internationally both as a soloist and
a chamber musician. In 1999 he was invited by composer Karl Jenkins to feature
as a soloist on the best-selling recording Adimeus 4, resulting in a world
premiere performance at London's Royal Albert Hall.Born in Scotland, he studied with Owen Murray at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England and Matti Rantanen at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. In June 2000 he graduated from the Postgraduate Performance course at the RAM having been awarded the prestigious DipRAM. David has been involved in many diverse projects, from working with the Royal Opera Covent Garden, to giving a performance of Arne Nordheim's epic accordion concerto "Spur" in the presence of the composer at the acclaimed Huddersfield International Contemporary Music festival. David has also given recitals at the Chelmsford Cathedral, Brighton and Aldeburgh Festivals. He is rapidly gaining a reputation as a leading interpreter of contemporary music, and has worked with the London Sinfonietta under Oliver Knussen and has formed a duo "muta", with clarinetist Gareth Davis, specializing in new music. Over the past few years David has had many competition successes. In 1997 he won the keyboard section and was a grand finalist in the Royal Overseas League Music Competition. In 1998 he gave a recital in the Purcell Room as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artist's series, and has also given performances and interviews on BBC Radio. He is frequently invited to sit as a member of international competition juries, including the Beijing International Accordion Competition and the Finnish National Competition. David performs Gubaidulina with profound emotional and philosophical depth, understanding her "truth", and the complex musical language it is expressed with, to its fullest. David captures poetry, melancholy and contemplativeness of Zolotaryov's "Chamber Suite" with mastery and maturity. His interpretation of this exquisite piece is mild and beautiful on the surface but it has an explosiveness buried quietly in its emotional landscape. It is truly a superb performance - accomplished, considered, polished - a performance of depths in many aspects. Makes you realize just how thin and fleeting some of what passes for good accordion playing is. ***** |
