In 1983 Richard Davis won 1st prize in the International Flute Competition held in Philadelphia by the National Flute Association of America.
He was appointed Principal Flute with the BBC Philharmonic at only 20 years old – one of the youngest principal flautists of a major symphony orchestra since the 1940s; indeed, he was only just half-way through his course at the Royal Northern College of Music.
'flute playing of such quality'
The Sunday Telegraph
Richard has freelanced, as principal flute, with most of the UK's orchestras including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal National Scottish Orchestra, The Hallé, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra.
He performs regularly as soloist with professional orchestras
and gives chamber music and solo recitals for national radio.
As a soloist, orchestral musician and teacher, Richard is
in continual demand throughout the world.
In 1985, Richard recorded the first British performance of Bernstein's Halil for flute and orchestra, which was broadcast live on Radio 3. He has also broadcast concertos ranging from Mozart to Maxwell Davies and in 1992 Richard was the soloist in a performance of Malcolm Arnold's Flute Concerto No 1 as part of the composer's 70th birthday celebrations. Ten years later he performed and broadcast the work again for Arnold's 80th birthday. At the time the Guardian wrote:
'the first flute concerto...was played superbly by Richard Davis'
In regular recitals for BBC Radio 3 Richard has broadcast works by Fukashima, Prokofiev, Gaubert, Doppler, Duruflé, Martinů, Martin, Widor and many more. The flute concerto of Maxwell Davies (Strathclyde Concerto No 6) has featured greatly in Richard's repertoire in the last few years. He studied it with the composer and performed it first in 1994 in a live performance with Maxwell-Davies conducting. In January 1996 Richard performed the Strathclyde again but this time it was broadcast live throughout the world in countries as far afield as Canada, Russia, Poland, Latvia, Iceland, Israel, Rumania, Europe and Scandinavia.
Richard has also appeared as soloist on a CD for Chandos which was reviewed with great critical acclaim by The Guardian and Gramophone.
Richard is a Senior Lecturer and an orchestral coach at the Royal Northern College of Music where he has taught since 1989. As a conductor he has directed concerts with professionals, students and amateurs all over the country.
In 1995 he was included in the International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory (published by International Publications Service) and in 1998 Sir Peter Maxwell Davies wrote a brand new flute concerto especially for, and dedicated to, Richard. It is entitled: Temenos with Mermaids and Angels and was given its premier performance and broadcast in Dublin in 1999 by Richard and Maxwell Davies.
Richard plays on an 1864 open G# Louis Lot flute.
Quotations:
In reviewing a performance of Daphnis et Chloé, with the BBC Philharmonic, Douglas Bowen wrote:
'Richard Davis's flute solo...diaphanously clear, full-blooded and opulent, it made an overpowering impact'
Richard has been hailed by The Daily Telegraph as;
'an accomplished flautist'
and as having:
'incredible facility'
The Times
'[he] imbued the music with irresistible charm'
The Daily Telegraph
'the enchanted flute solos of Richard Davis'
The Guardian
Bolton Evening News said of his 2005 performance of the Nielson Flute Concerto:
'It is a difficult work that Mr Davis simply nailed to the wall. His lyrical understanding of the quieter passages, quite breathtakingly beautiful in their tranquillity, and his sense of phrasing, coupled with meticulous virtuosity, made brilliant sense of an intriguing piece of work.'
Gramophone Magazine has described his flute playing as:
'elegant' and 'exquisitely delicate'
'the sounds he made in the middle and lower registers were sumptuous.'
The Daily Telegraph
'a ravishing solo played here with beguiling simplicity by Richard Davis'
The Times
