Lyndon Jeffrey Frank Watts | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 (age 48–49) |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Website | lyndonwatts |
Lyndon Jeffrey Frank Watts (born 19 January 1976) is an Australianbassoonist. He is principal bassoonist of theMünchner Philharmoniker and an academic teacher.
Watts studied the bassoon from 1988 and completed his senior school education atNewington College in 1993.[1] He collaborated with theSydney Symphony Orchestra from 1992 to 1993, winning prizes at Australian competitions. From 1994 he studied at theHochschule für Musik und Theater München with Eberhard Marschall and, in 2000, finished his master's degree with distinction.[2]
In 1997 Watts won the international music competitionpacem in terris ofBayreuth.[3] In 2000 he was awarded the Yamaha Scholarship for Woodwind Instruments, which he used to study Baroque bassoon from 2001 to 2005 with Alberto Grazzi in Verona.[4] He won a third prize at theARD International Music Competition in 2002, he was the first Australian woodwind player in the competition's history to win a prize, and an "award for the best interpretation of the commissioned work byHeinz Holliger",[2]Klaus-ur fromThree Pieces for bassoon.[5] Holliger's composition was recorded by theBayerischer Rundfunk on the CD21st Century Instrumental Solos, a collection of works commissioned by the ARD competition since 2002.[6][7] On another recording of the prizewinners of 2002 he plays Mozart'sbassoon concerto with theMünchener Kammerorchester.[8]
Since 1998 Watts has been principal bassoonist of theMünchner Philharmoniker.[2] He has also performed as a soloist with theBavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Münchener Kammerorchester. At the 2004 conference of theInternational Double Reed Society (IDRS) he appeared with theMelbourne Symphony Orchestra.[2] He is a supporter of theAustralian World Orchestra, founded in 2010.[9]
As a chamber musician, he commissioned and first performed in 2001 the first of four quartets for a woodwind instrument and string trio, called "Finnische Quartette", byJörg Duda. In 2003 he premiered theBassoon Quintet ofGraham Waterhouse at theGasteig.[10] At the 2009 IDRS conference in Birmingham he played in several recitals, for example with bassoonist Thomas EberhardtLacrimosa ofLouis Andriessen,[11] Holliger'sThree Pieces,Sofia Gubaidulina's Duo for two bassoons, and the premiere ofBernd Redmann'sSecret doors for two bassoons and orchestra.[12] In December 2009 he took part in the festival ofcontemporary musicKlangaktionen in Munich.[13] In 2011 he premiered Redmann'sMigrant for bassoon and string quartet in Munich.[14][15]
Playing a Baroque bassoon built by Peter de Koningh after Eichentopf, Watts recorded arrangements of arias fromHandel's operas, "The Gentleman's Flute", in an ensemble with Stefan Temmingh, recorder, and his wife Olga Watts,harpsichord, among others.[16]
Watts was one of 16 bassoonists in the concertThe Proud Bassoon, celebratingWilliam Waterhouse on 16 April 2011 inWigmore Hall. He played Waterhouse's arrangement for two bassoon choirs ofGiovanni Gabrieli'sSonata Pian' e Forte,Anton Reicha's Quintet for bassoon and strings, on an 1807 instrument from Waterhouse's collection, and theDivertissement for bassoon and string quintet ofJean Francaix, dedicated to Waterhouse.[17][18]
Watts taught the bassoon at theHochschule für Musik und Theater München between 2002 and 2007, and has worked as a professor at theBern University of the Arts since October 2005. He has conducted regular courses in Switzerland and Germany, and masterclasses in England, Portugal, Australia, Japan, China and Korea,[2] such as a masterclass of the Australasian Double Reed Society in 2008.[19] He has been a teacher for the Junge Münchner Philharmonie.[20]
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