Malcolm on a hot day in Mauritius
Try these MP3 files:
Pasculli's La Favorita
1st Movement (5.6 Meg)
Pasculli's La Favorita
2nd Movement (6.1 Meg)
A CD of Pasculli's La Favorita and other recordings is available from T. W. Howarth of London
Tel: +44 (0)208 449 7323
Mobile: +44 (0) 7979 647831
email: oboe1@messiter.com
Malcolm Messiter Virtuoso Oboe, Oboe D'amore &
Cor Anglais.
... Malcolm Messiter exercised an almost hypnotic sway over his audience with his flawless
timing, the eloquent beauty of his phrasing and scintillating agility... Daily
Telegraph, London
Born in 1949, Malcolm Messiter began playing the oboe in 1964 while at Bryanston School in
Dorset. Within a year, he’d packed away his stethoscope and left behind all thoughts
of becoming a doctor to concentrate on the oboe. Two years later, 1967, he won a
scholarship to the Paris Conservatoire of Music.
From Paris - where he studied with Pierre Pierlôt - Messiter returned to The Royal
College of Music in London during 1969 to continue his studies with Sydney Sutcliffe.
While at The Royal College, he won the Joy Boughton, the Grade 5 and the R.A.O.S. Prizes
as well as a Performers' A.R.C.M. with Honours.
On leaving the Royal College of Music in 1972, Malcolm Messiter joined the BBC Concert
Orchestra as principal oboe. In 1977 he left to become principal oboe in the London Mozart
Players. Within a year, he was acclaimed as joint-Winner of the 1978 Leeds International
Musicians' Platform. Hence, with his solo engagement diary fit to bursting, Malcolm was
forced to reduce his orchestral playing. As soloist, Malcolm Messiter has recorded for BMG
/ RCA; Deutsche Grammophon; ASV; Hyperion; Arte Nova Classics & the BBC as well as a
great many British and foreign radio and TV stations. He was featured oboist on Mike
Oldfield’s multi-million selling original recording of Tubular Bells; was the
preferred oboist by the Amadeus Quartet for many years, performing regularly with them in
Britain, Spain and France until they ceased to perform; featured soloist on the theme to
BBC TV’s The Secret Garden as well as a regular performer on radio and television
world-wide; a soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Festival Orchestra and
BBC Concert Orchestra among many others.
Lionel Markson, reviewing for Records & Recording stated.... an astounding
display of virtuosity such as I have never heard before from an oboist. Bewildering
velocity of fingers and tongue, phenomenal breath control, harmonics and the upward
extension of the oboe's range a fourth beyond its 'highest note', F in altissimo, are
allied to rhythmic vivacity and exuberant showmanship. Yet, we hear ravishing tone and a
musician's sensibility. After my first encounter with the British oboist Malcolm Messiter
I can best describe him as the ‘Heifetz of the oboe’. To date, Messiter has
played as soloist in more than 51 countries that cover every conceivable corner of the
globe: from Britain to Italy, from Spain to Namibia, from Jamaica to Bulgaria, from Taiwan
to Liechtenstein and Equador to Zimbabwe. In 1982, for example, Messiter received a twelve
minute plus standing ovation after playing to the International Double Reed Society in
Texas, the toughest audience imaginable consisting, as it did, of the top 500 oboists in
the world. Working alone and, more recently in tandem with acclaimed pianist John Lenehan,
Messiter is a highly respected orchestrate and arranger – their most recent joint
work in this field being the orchestrations for Nigel Kennedy’s forthcoming Klassic
Kennedy release while Messiter’s solo orchestrations and arrangements include works
for the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Radio Orchestra of Cologne and the London Festival
Orchestra.
He is also a co-founder of The Virtual Orchestra – a project which will be launched
during 1999. In addition to his concert and recording commitments, Malcolm Messiter
founded and runs Trans-Send International Ltd., a communications software company whose
programs are used by over 3 million users around the world. Besides his solo engagements,
Malcolm Messiter currently plays principal oboe with the London Festival Orchestra, The
English Classical Players and several other leading British orchestras.
In the Telemann Concerto we heard an oboist of great stature. The
intensity of sound that he coaxed from his instrument was astounding. Oslfrissen
Zeitung, Oslo
Marcello's Concerto had Malcolm Messiter as oboe soloist. His flawless technique and
amazing breath control and sheer pyrotechnical display was a joy to hear. El Tiempo,
Buenos Aires
Messiter...phenomenal! The Times, London
Messiter's control of tone quality and dynamics was amazing. He used sounds that fit each
turn of phrase. It was obvious that he conceived the qualities in advance that best suited
his musical purpose, and then through the use of his phenomenal technical skill, brought
them into being. The Tribune, Tulsa
There is no question Messiter plays the oboe like a wizard. He can do just about anything
he wants with the instrument, including producing notes without any apparent source of
air... The Gazette, Montreal
....Messiter is a supreme master of his oboe. ...The phrasing and the pyrotechnics
involved had to be heard to be believed. Unless witnessed, it is almost impossible to
believe that such wizardry can be achieved on the oboe. No wonder that Messiter has earned
the title of "Heifetz of the oboe"... Rand Daily Mail, South Africa
The Pied Piper is an Oboist! Messiter was decidedly the evening's phenomenon; he was
– in other words – the incredible oboist from whose instrument emanated some of
the most exquisite musical sounds imaginable. Daily Express, The Philippines
This site is hosted by USP Networks
