Acclaimed for his inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship, Paul Watkins enjoys a distinguished career both as concerto soloist and chamber musician. Born in 1970, he studied with William Pleeth, Melissa Phelps and Johannes Goritzki, and at the age of 20 was appointed Principal Cellist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. During his solo career he has collaborated with world renowned conductors including Paavo Berglund, Leonard Slatkin, David Robertson, Sakari Oramo, Andrew Litton, Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Mark Elder, Vernon Handley, Richard Hickox, Sir Andrew Davis and Sir Charles Mackerras. He performs regularly with all the major British orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia and City of Birmingham Symphony. He has made six concerto appearances at the BBC Proms, most recently in a televised performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto at the First Night of the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek and recorded live by Deutsche Grammophon. He made his concerto debut at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of chief conductor Yakov Kreizberg, and has performed with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, Queensland Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra of Turin. He has toured to Italy and Prague with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and to China and the Far East with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of recent seasons have included his debut at Carnegie Hall performing Brahms’ Double Concerto with Daniel Hope, as well as concerto appearances with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and in 2012/13 he will make his debut with the Bournemouth Symphony, return to the BBC Scottish Symphony and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and premiere a new concerto written for him by Mark-Anthony Turnage with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic, Royal Flemish Philharmonic and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.

read more...

"Britain's finest cellist, Watkins' account [of the Elgar concerto] seems the best to have appeared on disc for years. It has intensity, presence and warmth, which never topples over into sentimentality."

Andrew Clements, The Guardian Apr 5th 2012

"[Watkins] brings a wealth of profound musicality, ardour and insight to bear, making his an interpretation to cherish. […] No self-respecting Delian can afford to be without this indispensable issue."

Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone

"I was poised to remark on the seraphic cello-playing of Paul Watkins, who turns even an off-beat pizzicato into a thing of joy. Then days later it emerged that Watkins will join the Emerson Quartet, replacing David Finckel when he departs after 34 impressive years. Watkins, one of the UK's finest musicians, will change the character of this august, gleaming American group. I'm agog to see how. In the rarefied but exhilarating world of chamber music this news is as big as it gets."

Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian

"The concert’s high point was Paul Watkins’ performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Here was a subtle balance of passion and compassion, revealing the deep sense of anguish underlying the superficially idyllic pastoral and achieving some strikingly beautiful sounds."

The Guardian

"Britten specifically did not title the work a ‘concerto’, and the great achievement of this recording is its powerful sense of ensemble. Watkins is an interpreter of compelling seriousness, whose musical understanding operates at a profound level. As the cadenza unfolds, and the cello’s broadening arpeggios emerge into the sunlight of the finale, accompanied by a glorious, glistening trumpet, one realises he and Gardner have created not just a great climax, but a truly symphonic collaboration. "

Helen Wallace, BBC Music Magazine

"The Cello Symphony is a work that Britten recorded with its dedicatee Rostropovich [and] I can pay this new release no higher compliment than to say that Paul Watkins and Gardner produce results that are similarly persuasive. Watkins has a superb technique, but more importantly he seems to understand this music so well: there’s a gritty integrity in his approach that is just right, and there’s plenty of subtle shading in his sound (the cadenzas are intense and searching, full of expressive colours too). Watkins is matched by immensely responsive orchestral playing: Gardner again shows himself to have a natural flair for Britten’s idiom and he produces moving results in the noble resolution at the close. "

Nigel Simeone, International Record Review

"Watkins’ attention to detail was rewarding, as was his willingness to risk the softest possible touch; the slow second movement had moments of magic as he drew his sound back as far as it would go."

The Guardian