He has already been dubbed the David Beckham of the violin, but this moniker isn’t just about his looks, it’s also a reference to the sheer dedication and hard work since the age of nine that has resulted in David Garrett becoming one of the finest players of his generation. Like Mr Beckham he enjoys international success, with album sales and sold out concerts across the globe.David Garrett personifies the word ‘virtuoso’ , although he is just 26, he has been performing publicly since the age of ten with the Hamburg Philharmonic, then at twelve with the legendary Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern, he also became the youngest person to sign a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon.
He ran away from home in his teens to attend the Julliard School in New York, against his parent’s wishes, a rift that has still to be fully healed. Garrett is no ordinary Violinist, his raw talent has been honed by the finest teachers, including Itzhak Perlman at the Julliard. His life experiences have also given him the soul that makes his playing extraordinary. David plays not just with his fingers but with his heart.David has already established himself in Europe, South America and Asia, with a series of sell out concerts, playing with top orchestras and conductors, including Sir Neville Marriner , Claudio Abbado and Zubin Mehta. Unusually for a violinist many of his fans are still at school and show an unprecedented level of enthusiasm at his concerts. Onstage David exudes charisma and showmanship, performing a mesmerising version of ‘Duelling Banjos’ (from the movie Deliverance) as a guitar duet, ‘Duelling Strings’, and his energetic show stopper, the ‘Gypsy Dance’ by Csárdás. His rendition of Flight of the ‘Bumble Bee’ has to be seen to be believed.His debut album for Universal Music ‘Virtuoso’ reflects the tastes of a 26 year old who is clearly in love with melodies, no matter what musical genre they come from. Tracks include his own virtuoso interpretations of popular classics ‘Carmen’, ‘Paganini’, as well as romantic film themes, Morricone’s ‘La Califfa’, Bernstein’s ‘Somewhere’, and, as he considers himself one of the MTV generation, has created a brilliant symphonic reworking of the metal masters, Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’. To further show his multifarious talents, David has composed three very different pieces for the album. ‘Serenade’, a tale of heartbreak and woe, ‘Toccata’, a violin take on a modern sound and ‘Eliza’s Song’ a classic love song.David is already enjoying phenomenal success in Germany with his album ‘Virtuoso’ outselling such greats as Pavarotti and Bocelli in the Classical charts and hitting the top 30 of the pop charts. In South East Asia his album entered the pop charts at No.3 just behind Mika and Avril Lavigne and straight in at No.1 in their classical chart.David played his first solo concert in the UK at The Barbican on February 14th, the date immediately sold out.
The old saying ‘seeing is believing’ really does hold true when it comes to David Garrett.
The album ‘Virtuoso’ will be released on March 24th through Universal Classics and Jazz David Garrett