Tete-A-Tete With Euro Artistes

by YULETTE COUTINHO
Posted on 2009-02-08
Pro Musica presented a Duo Recital by Thomas Scrott on the Violin and Daniel Bosshard on the Piano on February 5, 2009 at Maquinez Palace in the evening. The Duo hailing from Europe performed in Goa 10 years ago and played in India on their last tour 3 years ago. On their current tour in India they will also be playing at Delhi, Mysore, Rajasthan, Poona and Bangalore they said.
The audience as well as the artistes, were disappointed as the artistes had to mid-way end their show due to sound disturbance from a Cultural Programme going on outside. The Maquinez Palace unfortunately is not sound proof and thus affected the music in the auditorium.
Speaking to the Duo, who are proceeding to Mysore tomorrow, said we are happy to visit Goa and really enjoy the climate here as they feel the people are friendly and are quite musically talented themselves and we are enjoying our stay at the Sun Village, Arpora.
At first instance of talking one could easily tell of their friendly nature and when asked what they love to do most, Thomas immediately replied Sailing. Besides their tours and performances they said they both teach Music, while Daniel teaches at the University of Zurich, Thomas teaches at the Milan Music School.
Thomas the violinist lives in Milan but travels to Switzerland where Daniel lives because of their music relation, which is now become his next home. He learnt music at the Mannes College of Music in New York, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Centre International de Formation Musicale in Nice, the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Siena as well as the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. He has been trained by Aaron Rosand, Mauro Loguercio and Lewis Kaplan.
When I enquired about the musical instrument he uses, it really came to my surprise as he said a Violin of 1675 by Nicole Amati which is generously lent to him for all his concerts by the Festival Strings Lucerne Foundation.
Daniel the Pianist, lives in Switzerland with his family he credits his learning to Hans Andrreae at the Zurich Conservatory as well as with Rolf Maser (Piano) and Robert Suter (Composition) at the Music Academy of Basel. An author of a thematical index of Alexander Scriabin’s works and is also a composer of chamber music.
Both of them have toured widely to places like Japan, South Africa, Austria, France, Finland and many other places and play works by composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Gund and Fritz Kreisler among many other composers.
They said that they look forward to coming back to India and perform for wonderful audiences and Thomas parted by saying Music is a universal language, it is not always necessary to understand music but one can enjoy it as they listen as the music speaks and for us as artistes we enjoy playing as it gives expression and emotion to the works of the composers.