MEDIA REVIEWS & APPRECIATION from the WORLD of EARLY MUSIC



COMPOSER - PERFORMER
 of 17th & 18th Century Style Music

SOLOIST & CONDUCTOR

CD Recordings

Piano Sonata in A minor - mvt. I
Soloist / Composer: Hendrik Bouman
CD Little Notebook for Anna II, on a Fazioli Piano                         


HENDRIK BOUMAN, COMPOSER-PERFORMER
of music in styles prevalent in 17th & 18th Century Europe

 

"I couldn't resist immediately playing through your Fantasie. It was lovely to play and I think it is a charming and original piece. Thank you so much - I shall enjoy it. Looking forward to hearing and playing the concerto."
- Alison Bury, Orchestra of the Enlightenment, UK, November 2009

"It’s refreshing to hear that someone as talented as you is reuniting the art of performance, improvisation and composition in the sphere of early music. And a symphony...!?."
- Andrew Manze, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, English Concert, April 2008

"I did look at Hendrik Bouman's website and heard his music. I think it's the best example of that type of composition I ever heard. (So often, writing in an earlier style sounds obviously fake.) I have admired him as a player since my earliest 'baroque' days, when he was the heart and soul of Musica Antiqua Köln."
- Andrew Manze, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, English Concert, 2008

"... composition and improvisation in the styles of 17th & 18th Century Europe for which he is renowned."
- Oxford Times UK, February 2008

"Hendrik Bouman is a fantastic harpsichordist and a fantastic 21st Century baroque composer."
- Susie Napper, Artistic Director of the Festival Montréal Baroque, June 2007

"...excellent -- the concerts you've put on and this event yesterday. I was glad the Festival was able to accommodate your wonderful contributions."
- Bruce Haynes, June, 2007 - Author of "The End of Early Music", Oxford University Press,
[on Hendrik Bouman's period compositions in 2006-07 season with Baroque SaMuse and in the Festival Montréal Baroque 2007, including 12 premières]

"MASTERFUL NOTES IN MASTERS' STYLES"
Some local music buffs will recall Bouman's meteoric Montreal career in the late 1980's... after seven years with the groundbreaking German ensemble Musica Antiqua Köln. Finally the Dutch-born harpsichordist made the leap from improvising in the styles of the baroque and classical masters to composing formal notated music in these styles.”
- Arthur Kaptainis, The Gazette, Montréal, February 2007

"As a performer and a contemporary baroque composer, Hendrik Bouman is an extremely talented man. He could be taken for one of the Masters [of the 18th century] .”
- Fen Watkin, Order of Canada, The Guardian, Charlottetown, Canada, October 2004

"Hendrik Bouman is one of the rare contemporary composers who dedicates himself still to writing in the style of the baroque. During this evening you will hear not only the great classics like J.S. Bach and François Couperin, but also several compositions of Mister Bouman which will make Bach himself blush with pride."
- Journal du Carrefour de l' Isle de St. Jean, Charlottetown, January 2004

"It's a bit overwhelming, Mister Bouman, to hear this kind of music come alive under the fingers of a musician. This piece that you have just played, this improvisation, could just as well have been part of the great baroque repertoire.” ["Cette oeuvre que vous venez de jouer, cette improvisation pourrait aussi bien faire partir du grand repertoire baroque tant cette musique, cette improvisation épouse la musique d’un siècle, d’une époque .]
- Anne Monteron, Radio France / France Musiques, Paris, February 2003

"The technical fireworks with which Bouman provides him start lighting up the night air."
- The Mail Star, Halifax, August 1999
[Hajo Bäss, premiering Hendrik Bouman's Fantasy for Solo Violin]

"A virtuoso, a gifted musician, a very fine person; his music is so inspiring."
- The Guardian, Charlottetown, Canada, August 1999

"Time stands still with his compositions. The quality of Bouman both as musician and instrument-builder is incontestable; he not only composes his own pieces, but he even builds his own harpsichords. In the St. Catherine Chapel he revealed himself as an excellent performer whose playing is both lyrical and intelligent.”
- Veluws Dagblad, Holland, September 1997 [return to top of page]



HENDRIK BOUMAN - SOLOIST / CONDUCTOR

"I have admired him as a player since my earliest 'baroque' days, when he was the heart and soul of Musica Antiqua Köln."
- Andrew Manze, Director of Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, English Concert, February 2008

"We were extremely grateful to Hendrik Bouman for stepping in at short notice and playing suberbly." [on the Museum's 1772 Kirckman harpsichord at a recital for the Friends of the Ashmolean Museum]
- Dr. Jon Whiteley, Deputy Curator, Western Art, Ashmolean Museum
Oxford, UK, November 2007

"Hendrik is a performer of great class. "
- Johanne Goyette, Director of the ATMA label, Montréal, January 2007

"His reputation as continuo player is legendary in North America & Europe. As a soloist he is no less impressive, and he maintains this consistency on most keyboard instruments."
- Christopher Jackson, Former Dean of Fine Arts Concordia University, Montréal
& Founding-Director of the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, 2007

"Hendrik Bouman is an extraordinarily fine harpsichord player. His playing is subtle, immaculate, and beautifully shaded. The instrument which he built himself, is warm and sweet, and he knows how to use rainshowers of notes to accumulate sound in order to supply a plastic medium with which to model phrases."
- The Mail Star, Halifax, August 1999

"Hendrik Bouman, one of the best harpsichordists in the world."
- ATV Halifax, August, 1999

"Beautiful and such technique, your [Italian] harpsichord sounds like a grand."
- Max van Egmond, Baryton, Professor Amsterdam Conservatory
    [Holland Concert Tour 1997, Italian harpsichord by Hendrik Bouman 1996]

"In his presentation of Mozart on the fortepiano, Hendrik Bouman played Mozart’s piano music in such a passionate manner that it refuted all cold and erroneous notions of Mozart being a not-yet-Beethoven."
- Il Messaggero - Arenzano, Italy, July 1992

"The ‘Prestige Concert' with the soprano Nancy Argenta and the pianist Hendrik Bouman was the best event of the Mozart Festival of the Montreal Opera."
- Le Devoir, Montréal, May 1991

"An hour and a half of inspired music making. It is not how cleanly a harpsichordist executes the notes. Hundreds of performers can do that. What seperates the artist from the rest of the pack is how he or she chooses to breathe life into this ever-changing ever-contrasting music. Hendrik Bouman’s artistry came through time after time."
- The Oregonian, Portland USA, April, 1991

"Among Marie Leonhardt&quo;s impressive soloists, harpsichordist Hendrik Bouman gave a remarkably poetic interpretation of one of Bach’s Toccatas."
- Dagblad van het Oosten, Holland, January 1991

"Hendrik Bouman, guest director, provided sensitive leadership in Saturday’s superb performance of Handel’s Messiah. He appeared to work on an enormous and colourful canvas. Bouman’s tempi glittered, faithful to the dances that inspired much of the baroque musical idiom. This undercurrent of life and movement swept the work along on a crest of energy. The vitality of the performance was compelling and untiring. The result was a Messiah that was intelligent, jubilant, musical and highly civilized."
- The Oregonian, Portland USA, December 1990

"SCARLATTI SPARKLES FROM THE HARPSICHORD"
"With his excellent touché, brilliant and rapid, the harpsichordist Hendrik Bouman conveyed to us a performance full of a joie de vivre which was truly marvellous."
- Il Secolo XX, Genova, June 1990

"WHEN THE TEMPLE OF THE PEOPLE WELCOMES ANCIENT MUSIC"
"The challenge was to present to several thousands of people a music which was not intended to be performed in such a setting [sport stadium]. First let us make clear that everything centered around the exceptional personality of Hendrik Bouman. Literally inhabited by music, he is a veritable source of inspiration for the musicians he directs, as well as for the audience that listens. He possesses a sense of rhythm, of respiration, of phrasing and of colour, one encounters very rarely. He has revealed himself to be a very gifted communicator and an extraordinary charmer of the masses."
- Le Devoir, Montréal, August 1988
[Concerts Populaires d'Été de la Ville de Montréal - audience of 5000 people in a Stadium]

"The harpsichordist [Hendrik Bouman] is extremely gifted and knows how to derive from the baroque orchestra all its magnificence and play of contrasts with an extraordinarily alert suppleness."
- Le Soleil, Québec, July 1988
[World premiere of Hendrik Bouman's transcriptions for two harpsichords of several orchestral works by Bach with Alain Pièrard in the Festival de Québec.]

"Bouman obtained not only a remarkable coordination from all the musicians, but also a perfect unity of style and vision. The result is precise, energetic and expressive, and his choice of tempi is always right. In Haydn [Symphony 102], the emotion expressed in the Adagio (yes I mean emotion, like in Bruno Walter’s interpretation), and later the humour in the final Presto was, by no means, by chance."
- La Presse, Montréal, September 1987

"MOZART REDISCOVERED"
"Better still: Hendrik Bouman infused this familiar music [of Mozart’s] with such rhythmic vitality and originality of accentuation, that he made us somehow rediscover it."
- La Presse, Montréal, June 1987

"TO THE GLORY OF LULLY"
"Happily, all the instrumental music was in good hands, those of Ensemble Les Nations de Montréal directed by Hendrik Bouman. Mr. Bouman played the exacting harpsichord part with remarkable mastery throughout."
- Le Devoir, Montréal, May 1987 (20th Century World Première of the opera Amadis by Lully)

"THREE HOURS FOR 300 YEARS OF LULLY starring Les Nations".
"Friday night was the appropriate crowning event of the season. In Friday night's concert, even considering the performance of the singers, the new baroque ensemble on period instruments, Les Nations de Montréal, created by Hendrik Bouman, the original harpsichordist of the prestigious group Musica Antiqua Cologne, made its mark. Bouman was clearly determined to win the game; not only by mounting a performance equal to its subject, but especially also by impressing his new ensemble upon the vast public which listened to the performance in the concert hall and on the radio. The Nations set very high standards that night. What I heard on the radio was as good and as beautiful as anything we hear on recordings from the best foreign early music ensembles."
- La Presse, Montréal, May 1987 (20th Century World Première of the opera Amadis by Lully)

"This performance of Lully' Amadis [world premiere in the XX century] is comparable from all points of view, to the best productions of this genre worldwide. Mr. Bouman contributed his unique qualities as musician, engaging the audience with enthusiasm through his sober and luminous vision of the musical score, both in the orchestral sections as in those with the more intimate solo ensembles. In my opinion Mr. Bouman can lead the ensemble Les Nations in performances of an exceptional quality, thereby enriching, with this precious ensemble, the music scene."
- Radio Canada, Jacques Boucher, May 1987
(20th Century World Première of the opera Amadis by Lully)

"LES NATIONS: a hit with all-Bach Concert"
"To supply something distinctive within the limits of the no longer novel authentic genre would be a tall order. Hendrik Bouman and Les Nations succeeded in this task early. In terms of intonation, togetherness, semantic organisation and lyric impulse, the orchestra gave performances that can stand with those of celebrated rival organisations overseas and south of the border. "
- The Gazette, Montréal, March 1987

"The most elaborate of the weekend’s musical events took place within the impressive walls of the Notre Dame Basilica, and brought together several hundred choristers, fifty instrumentalists, soloists Chantal Rémillard and Alain Pièrard and over 2000 spectators in a giant celebration of music - the Québec mass 'Tu me cherches' by Alain Pièrard, prayer and communion. Coordinating the various components was a feat in itself and the conductor Hendrik Bouman, who is another early music specialist, managed the task magnificently."
- The Gazette, Montréal, April 1983

"Very warm applause for the harpsichordist Hendrik Bouman who imparted to the six voice Ricercar [Musical Offering] a density and vastness which communicates to us the grandeur of Bach’s sound universe."
- Dernières Nouvelles d&quo;Alsace, Strasbourg, France, Febrary 1983

"UNFORGETTABLE EVENT"
"The solo performance by the Dutch harpsichordist Hendrik Bouman was of a level one rarely hears; his free approach made the music totally comprehensible from beginning to end."
- Eindhovens Dagblad, Holland, November 1982

"Harpsichordist Hendrik Bouman was assigned the two versions of the Ricercari from Bach&quo;s Musical Offering, all by himself, and took a good many rhythmic liberties with the bar. The music emerged rich and vivid, far more than is usually the case."
- Hong Kong Standard Weekender, October 1982

"Hendrik Bouman proved his superb mastery in the art of harpsichord playing: his immaculate virtuosity, his detailed vision and vast spectrum of colours."
- Reutlinger Nachrichten, Reutlingen, German, December 1979

"The most exciting of all was of course the D major Harpsichord Concerto [J.S.Bach], played by Hendrik Bouman: his articulation and perfect technique made his rendering highly communicative."
- Bonner Tageszeitung, Bonn, Germany, March 1979

"Hendrik Bouman made his marvellous harpsichord shine in a mature and incredibly concentrated interpretation of the Romanesca Variations by Frescobaldi."
- Kölner Stadt Anzeiger, Köln Germany, December 1978

"A performance beyond all praise, in which the musicians Reinhard Goebel, Hajo Bäss and Ingrid Seifert (violins), Charles Medlam (cello), Jonathan Cable (violone), as well as the harpsichordist Hendrik Bouman, who leads the music unnoticeably, presented brillantly the various Fantasies in all their intricacies."
- Bremer Nachrichten, Bremen, Germany, November 1978

"One feels that Hendrik Bouman is primarily a soloist, who demonstrates his capacity to easily adapt and restrain himself in his accompaniments. While maintaining a detailed structure, he yet conveys a sense of free improvisation. This very balance carries the art to its highest attainment."
- Tagesblatt Heidelberg, Germany, August 1978

"Without exaggerating, Hendrik Bouman was the surprise of the evening. His play is simply unsurpassed; very elegant and sensitive, interspersed with spontaneous ideas and very imaginitive ....both in the basso continuo and in his solo work."
- Siegener Zeitung, Germany, December 1976 [return to top of page]

 

CD Recordings

“I play the copy I purchased over and over and I’m impressed each time.”
- Steve Andrusiak, Executive Producer, CBCTV Canada, 1998

"Among all the records which pass through our hands, this double album is very, very beautiful."
- Jean Bouffard, Radio Canada, Montréal, 1998

"All the best for your great work."
 - Carlos Céser Director, Glossa Music, 1998

"I enjoyed listening to it, and your playing is terrific!"
- Clive Bennett Executive Producer Philips Holland, 1997

"What a wealth of new repertoire; not only do I enjoy the compositions but I am ecstatic to hear harpsichord playing like that!"
- Susie Napper, Founding-Artistic Director of Festival Montréal Baroque, 1998

"Perpetually in movement, radiating, soothing, joyful, full of intelligence, fresh, forever new.”
- Guy Soucie - Directeur Artistique Maison de la Musique - Chapelle historique du Bon Pasteur de la Ville de Montréal, 1998

We listened to your CDs with great pleasure. Congratulations!"
 -Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, 1998

"What a creativity! such beautiful and tender compositions.”
- Christine Mahler, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, 1998

"My colleagues and I are completely won over by the extraordinary quality of your performance and your avant-garde compositions."
- WalterVestidello, I Sonatori, Veneto, Italy, 1998

"Beautiful! It's wonderful that you are able to do this. You move in this medium with such ease, so effortlessly. Within this historical musical language, you are bringing something unique and that with great charm - free, lively and with exquisite moments." "The way you play the piano evokes the sound of the fortepiano."
- Hajo Bäss, Co-founder of Musica Antiqua Köln and Founder-director of Les Adieux, Germany, 1998

"Triple virtouso - composer, performer and designer/builder of harpsichords!"
- Michel Cardin, lutenist, Université de Moncton, Canada, 1998

"Wonderful recordings!"
 - Dragan Djerkic, Suzuki Institute, McGill University, CEGEP Vanier, 1998

"What an exceptional being is Anna, for having inspired such music and so beautiful poems. We both have always loved baroque music, which more than any other music conveys best these feelings of peace, joy, harmony and love which I also feel each time I listen to you, with greater and greater pleasure. Your illustrations are really a feast of humour and tenderness ... and what a talent for drawing portraits. So the enjoyment is total.”
- J. Herbert, France, 1998

"...your beautiful harpsichord compositions and delightful  Little Notebook for Anna." (CDI)
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Statesman and former Prime Minister of Canada, 1998


MUSICA ANTIQUA KÖLN
[EMI, DGG/ARCHIV - 22 RECORDINGS, 35+ RE-ISSUES]

 

BACH - FLUTE SONATAS, DGG / Archiv
"Hendrik Bouman provides lively but well-balanced realisations in the pieces with basso continuo and makes an equally fine job of the three obligato parts."
- Early Music, Oxford, UK, October 1983

BACH - COMPLETE CHAMBER MUSIC, DGG / Archiv
"With this album we can appreciate what is possible today with instruments which Bach could have known but on which he never would have heard his music played with such perfection; times have changed, but now to our advantage."
 - Die Zeit, Hamburg, Germany, October 1983

BACH - MUSICAL OFFERING, DGG / Archiv
"This makes for very exciting listening, so that even the most abstract of the canons becomes imbued with personality and character. The playing is, in fact, exquisite and the recording is superb. The continuo sound is rich but not obtrusive."
 - Early Music, Oxford UK, 1981

"In the two solo Ricercari, which frame the Musical Offering of Bach, Hendrik Bouman distinguishes himself as a marvellously noble harpsichordist."
- Salzburger Nahrichten, Austria, November 1979

TELEMANN - CHAMBER CONCERTOS, DGG / Archiv
"Equally exquisite is the sound with which the young ensemble Musica Antiqua Köln's eight musicians - Germans, an Englishman, and the excellent Dutch harpsichordist and organist Hendrik Bouman - recorded Telemann’s chamber concertos in various formations."
- Kleine Zeitung Graz, Austria, 1980

GERMAN CHAMBER MUSIC BEFORE BACH, DGG / Archiv
"Thanks to the excellent harpsichordist Hendrik Bouman, the basso continuo is of an exciting flexibility; he has a marked rhythmical sense and a brilliant capacity to create dynamics by means of his agogic play. His impressive solo [Bach’s harpsichord arrangement of an extensive ensemble sonata by Reincken - box of 4 records of German Chamber Music] demonstrates the superb quality of this technically and musically remarkable harpsichordist."
- Allgemeine Zeitung, Mainz, Germany, December 1979 [return to top of page]
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Hendrik Bouman 1983-2010 [SACEM] © Hendrik Bouman 2004-2010 © BaboNet 2004-2010