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“Lively
and virtuosic” -The
Planet (radio national 2-8-0 |
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“Intense
virtuosic & sombre” -The Planet (radio national 6-11-03) |
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“The
Slava Grigoryan of the Oud, like Grigoryan the acclaimed classical
guitarist, the talent of Tawadros has bloomed in childhood and at the ripe
old age of 19, the Egyptian Australian was impassioned and inventive in
his modal improvisations” -Sydney Morning Herald (19-4-02) |
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“ “Mystical
melodies” -Carnivale
‘03 |
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“Joseph
at the age of 19 is a truly great player of the Oud…expressive, powerful
and exciting” -Asian Music and Dance Festival ’03 Studio, Opera House |
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“Tawadros
proved just what a beautiful and versatile instrument it is, especially in
the solo half of this concert” “A premium is placed on rhythmic invention and the emotional clout of the melodies….Tawadros excelled in both areas, often sustaining two lines simultaneously” “His Hallucination on a String was a fascinating, more abstract piece, exploring such textures as buzzing or muffled strings, harmonics, and playing beyond the short fingerboard. Notes arrived in showers, and scattered in several melodic directions at once” “Intense and evocative, with passages of hurtling virtuosity” “Densely rhythmical, with sinuous runs being punctuated with vigorous strumming” -Sydney
Morning Herald (13-5-03) |
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“Mesmerised
audiences with his playing” - |
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“Tawadros
on Oud introduced the tune of Waltzing Matilda into a brilliantly
needling improvisation” “Outstandingly
gifted instrumentalist” -Sydney
Morning Herald (10-12-02) |
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“Tawadros,
19, a Sydney
music student who is gaining a keen following through recitals and
festivals” “Reaching
a state of ecstasy” -The
Australian (5-12-02) |
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"A
charismatic young Oud player" “The
main objective of taqasim is to reach the point of ‘tarab’, which is
the Arabic word describing the exciting and ecstatic state that a musician
and audience reach in the embellishment of the music, This Tawadros
achieved consummately in the opinion of the audience, which rose as one to
it’s feet” “Highly
skilled……exhilarating” -Australian Institute of Eastern music Newsletter, Summer ’02-‘03 |
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“(Joseph
Tawadros) A pulse in the universe, A tune on earth, A beautiful heart and
mind-that is your soul!” -Lebanese
Australian poet Chafic Ataya, ‘02 |
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“It was like two people speaking in different languages to each other, however both agreeing about something, each telling there own story in there own way, and in the end coming back still in agreence with one another” “Two instruments, two worlds, two genius” -Arabic
SBS radio, about the collaboration with Mark Isaacs (8-11-03) |
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“ “unique
style of oud playing” -SBS
radio (14-4-04) |
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“Storyteller”
is the debut CD by a prodigiously talented, young Egyptian-Australian. Joseph
Tawadros was born in -The
Planet (radio national 15-6-04) |
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“Boy,
He can play! Iraq
was the place the oud was transformed in the 20th Century,
maybe it will be transformed in - The Planet (radio national 8-6-04) |
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“Impressionistic-mysterioso, “Experimental”, solo for the composer’s oud {fretless, Arabic lute} . Involves quasi-“free” elements, “spooky” sections, harmonics & intentional string-buzzing, some beating of the oud’s body & a deal of drama, very haunting, refined & spacious solo” -
The Planet (radio-national 15-6-04) |
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“Storyteller
(debut cd) is the oud and nothing but the oud, and with a player as good
as Tawadros that’s just fine” “a
dazzling technique dispensing hair raising tempos, florid ornamentation,
double and triple stopping and ferocious attack” “an
accomplished composer” “Tawadros
plucks, hits, buzzes, races up and down the scale and gives the impression
of having three pairs of hands. Possibly more” “Tawadros
pours out brillant cascades of notes underscored by a get up and dance
percussive rhythm. The playing is exhilarating” -
The Weekend Australian, July 24-25, 2004 |
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“One
of the most impressive musicians to emerge in “His
deft fingers release a kaleidoscope of notes and tempos. But he’s not
only a technical whiz. His creative imagination is eloquent in the
improvisational pieces and his originality is evident in his own
compositions” -
The Weekend Australian, August 28-29, 2004 |
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“Tawadros is creating his own traces of light…prodigiously talented” -Limelight
Magazine, August 2004 |
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“Selflessness
usually demands a considerable journey on the musicians part, and is a
destination many never reach. “Tawadros
plays modal improvisations known as taqasims. In these solo performances
the form is entirely dependant on the imagination, skill and beauty of
tone of the player, and Tawadros wins on all counts. With a sound
ember-warm, his music tends towards the elegiac, while the passing quarter
tones slice straight to the heart” -
Limelight Magazine, September, 2004 |
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“He
has been responsible for raising the profile of the fretless oud in - The Courier Sun, 29-9-04 |
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“His
exhilarating, highly skilled performances have made him one of “Joseph
has gone on to develop a truly unique and distinctive personal style of
his own and raise the profile of the fretless oud in Australia” -The
Advocate, Entertainer, 30-9-04 |
“One
of the most gifted musicians on the Australian music scene” “reputation
for dexterous playing” - Rhythms magazine, September, 2004 |
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“Young
and Brillant!” -Sydney
Morning Herald 3-12-04 |
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“A
real Oud Master” -The Sunday Telegraph 13-6-04 |
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"An impressive track record as a soloist” “Exploring new ways to expand the role of the oud in Australian
society” -Fine Music Magazine, February 2006 |
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"From the first few
notes of hearing Joseph Tawadros, one is astonished by his musical depth
and stunning technique. This is a strong sensibility steeped in the
history of his birth country and its musicians, but his is not just an
isolated musicianship. Combined wit ha sincere curiosity for the Western
music tradition his talents have inspired me to partner him with musicians
as diverse as Neil Finn through to collaborating with the ACO to devise a
program centred around the arrangements of his own compositions"
-Richard Tognetti, Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra |
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“It’s rich and incredibly vibrant, it sings but at the same time has
quite a percussive sound. It sounds exotic in the sense that it takes you
to a different planet. Its just a piece of wood with some strings on it,
but it’s what the craftsman, Joe, does with it that matters” “He’s got good nerves and astonishing intrinsic talents. He’s also a
great composer with a real gift of melody and structure” -Limelight Magazine, Richard Tognetti, December 2005 |
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“He (Joseph) has taken the instrument (oud) to places its never been” “He is still exploring…He experiments with harmonics and left hand
pizzicato, neither of which are traditional oud techniques” “an exceptionally talented performer” “With fluid and inventive phrasing…melodies still linger long after
I’ve turned out the lights and put out the cat, this is a fine portrait
of superb musicianship” -Limelight
Magazine, December, 2005 |
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“Tawadros’ crossover compositions cover a broad spectrum and he is
equally at ease performing jazz, classical, Indian or Egyptian music” “Joseph Tawadros literally has many strings to his bow. At the age of
22, the Egyptian born Australian has mastered an impressive array of
instruments” -The
West Australian, 16-11-2005 |
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“Joseph’s oud was beautifully matched by Richard Tognetti’s violin,
and their playing together drew rapturous applause from the audience” -Sunday
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“Then came new works for oud, string orchestra and Egyptian percussion.
The oud, an Arabic string instrument was brilliantly played by Egyptian
born Tawadros” “The first, Alamein started with a melancholic sound from the cellos and
double bass, while the strings and oud rode lyrically above” “With Remember Baghdad, the oud and percussion accompanied by weeping
sounds from the strings, recreated the rhythms and modes of Arabic music
tradition” “Oasis was catchy with its percussive staccato effects and sound gaining
strength and pace” “Rose with its slow, rapturous mood, was particularly beautiful” “Several encores from the string orchestra and Tawadros brothers left
the enthusiastic audience wanting more…it was a delightful and
innovative concert” -Sunday
Herald Sun, 19-2-2006 |
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“A carefully chosen, thrillingly delivered fusion of Western and
Middle-Eastern works captivated a full house on Tuesday at the Australian
Chamber Orchestra’s 30th Anniversary concert extravaganza,
The Travellers” “Special guest oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros - playing from memory –
joined the bowed strings for an evocative arrangement of his piece,
Alamein. This quasi-improvised work, based on Arabic modes, features of
glittering passages of lightning-fast melody and ornamentation above
sustained bass lines, the soloists phrases enhanced by myriad bowed string
special effects” “Later highlights among many cross cultural offerings from the oud
player was Remember Baghdad, its high frequency drones and eerie slides
calling to mind wailing voices or ominous drone of missiles” “Respite came with Oasis, a song about the ecstatic state achieved by
musicians through expressive interplay and slowly intensifying musical
embellishment…it is one hell of a party piece” “Head thrown back and eyes closed in rapture, Tawadros’ accelerandos
seemed faster than humanly possible, his vicious strummed passages backed
by horsehair tearing chords from the ACO as the team built up to a
fortissimo frenzy” “The ACO and Joseph Tawadros’ boundless energy and enthusiasm combined
with their rigorous performance standards made this ground breaking
concert an absolute pleasure. What a shame they were in -The
West Australian, 17-2-2006 |
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Subtle Colours of Egypt; Feisty duo “Two Australian-Egyptian masters came to the stage, The Tawadros
brothers, Joseph (oud) and James (Egyptian percussion), brought a heady
confrontation of ancient modes couched in a modern framework, with a
European-style orchestra in the background…Presenting works composed by
Joseph, they glided on their instruments, revealing a precious
virtuosity” |
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“The marvelous expressiveness of the oud and Joseph Tawadros’
virtuosic playing easily crossed cultural barriers, making this an
exciting voyage into music that I’m sure most of the audience
experienced for the first time” -State of the Arts, 14-2-2006 |
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Brothers Steal Eclectic Show “The highlight is the collaboration with the Tawadros brothers…Joseph
Tawadros provided the atmospheric core of the pieces, by turns sensitive
and spectacular in his fingering and strumming” “His writing displays a real depth of emotion, with Remember Baghdad
charting an aching lament and Existence reveling in a zest for life and
celebration” “The memory of the Tawadros brothers remained, clear and enticing” |
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“At just 22, Joseph is already a master of the oud” -Illawarra
Mercury, 4-2-2006 |
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“Joseph Tawadros is a fantastic musician and we’re learning all sorts
of improvisation and rhythm gestures we don’t know” (Richard Tognetti) -Illawarra
Mercury, 9-2-2006 |
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“Tawadros, 22, is -Sunday
Herald Sun, 29-1-2006 |
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Masterly mix “By no means alternative-lifestyle world music fans, took to this
unlikely combination with genuine enthusiasm” “The Tawadros brothers are fine musicians and Joseph has mastered the
intricate art of taqasim to a high level for a man of 22…the exceptional
freedom of his improvisations, while still respecting the boundaries of
traditional style, is most impressive” -The |
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“The ACO was joined by exciting Egyptian born oud player Joseph Tawadros” “The highlight of this adventurous evening of music-making was the
collaboration between Tognetti’s troops and the amazing Tawadros
brothers. Playing mainly compositions by Joseph, the audience came alive
with the insistent rhythms and dazzling improvisations of the taqasim” -The
Manly Daily, 24-2-2006 |
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“The
rapturous audience response to the Egyptian oud player Joseph Tawadros at
the end of each half owed most to the immediacy of his playing, which gave
his virtuosity a sense of spontaneity, catching the vivid moment as it
flies” “Joseph
Tawadros's playing was most interesting in the slow improvisatory
introductions (as in Remembering
Baghdad), where the embellishments were most unfettered and
the sound had a haunting quality, both distant and intimate” “In
faster music, such as Oasis in quintuple time, there is a thud and jangle
as the music builds in intensity through repetition and embellishment” “Outrageously
joyous notes by Tawadros and the orchestra ended it” -Sydney Morning Herald, 20-2-2006 |
| “Aged
just 22, Tawadros has brought the warmth and emotive sounds of the
oud to contemporary audiences, gaining critical acclaim with
distinctive improvisations and collaborations” -Sydney
Central Courier, 10-2-2006 |
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“By
playing a number alone- giving an opportunity to appreciate the
exceptional fluidity of Tawadros’ melodic invention and imaginative
exploration” - The |
| Copyright © Joseph Tawadros. All rights reserved 2005 |