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"Ward's music is direct clear and expressive; players and, I should guess, particularly singers must find his work grateful to perform ... Ward's compositions display, at their best, the stamp of the authentic, the 'necessary'."
Classical
Music
On the String Quartet no.6:
"String Quartet No 6 succeeded in negotiating a finely drawn line between the grittiness of modern musical language and a softer more nostalgic style, slipping easily into splendidly fanciful melodic reverie at the heart of the piece and then as easily back into ever faster passages driven by intoxicating dance-like rhythms."
The Herald
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On
the Concert
Overture on Themes from Jack's Engagement:
"Full of vigorous rhythms, crusty textures and fluctuating moods ... promises
well for the opera when it is produced on stage."
Music & Musicians
On The Snow Queen:
"The Snow Queen works particularly well ... one of the BBC's more
distinguished opera for radio commissions."
Tempo
"... a goose-pimply chamber opera ... the libretto by Kevin Ireland can
actually be clearly heard ... and it's worth it."
The Sunday Times
"... my role is very lyrical with lovely sweeping lines." Della Jones on
creating the title role.
Radio Times
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 David Ward in 1968, at the time
of writing A Full Moon In March
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On
Variations for Cello and
Orchestra
"...
makes a delightful little brother to the concerto the composer wrote for
Ross Pople in 1978 ... Ward is a composer not afraid to write melodies
(from the cellist's point of view, very playable ones) ..."
The Strad
"Ward's
writing for Pople was particularly effective."
The Times
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 David Ward in 1989, at the time
of writing Beyond the Far Haaf
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On
A Full Moon in March
"... a canny sincerity and a clarity both of
detail and overall intention ... A strangely impressive work."
The Listener
"...
strong melodic lines ..."
Irish Times
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On
String Quartet No 2
"...
a dramatic and well crafted string quartet ... his use of his forces is
lucid and confident.
Throughout a score which provides rich virtuosic pickings for all
four instruments, he shows a real understanding of each instrument's
individual timbre, balancing lush solo writing with tough quirky
accompaniment."
The Scotsman
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On
Beyond the Far Haaf
"The
piece was extremely moving - the connection between orchestra and audience
felt potent and the hour's music always held one in suspense."
The Scotsman
"The
work was shocking, stimulating, gripping and powerful, and at the end of
the orchestra's excellent rendering there were even one or two wiping away
a tear."
The Shetland Times |
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On
String Quartet No 3
"Full of rich musical ideas and startling string writing ... melody
proliferates and the use of strong rhythms gives a feeling of unity throughout."
Arran Banner
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David Ward in 2007
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"...
expansive Clarinet
Quintet has very
striking ideas ..."
The
Herald |
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Jane
Manning on Three Sonnets to
Orpheus in her book New
Vocal Repertoire, Volume 2 (Clarendon Press, 1998)
"This
is a work capable of making a very strong impression in concert ... Ward's
deeply felt response to the texts manifests itself in a thoroughly
extrovert way, unflinchingly passionate and heedless of any possible
accusations of excess."
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On
Piano Sonata (1999)
"...
by turns quiet, peaceful, quirky, jokey ... this work was not obscure and
inaccessible - far from it - it traversed a difficult landscape, yet
finally reached a calm and peaceful conclusion."
Deeside
Piper & Herald |
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On "Little Duet"
for clarinet and violin (2001)
"Ward's spacious and emotional piece was like a glimpse into a private world
of exchanged intimacies."
The Herald |
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On
Cello Concerto No 2
"Soloist Rohan de Saram attacked this action packed
work with vigour and the orchestra responded with dedicated care to its
varying moods." The
Scotsman |
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