Johannes Moser

The composer Alfred Schnittke felt at the same time German, Russian and Jewish. He himself saw a connection between his 'poly identity' and the orientation of his works.

His string trio in two movements was created as a commission for the Alban Berg-Society in 1985 for what woulkd have been the 100th birthday and 50th anniversary of Berg's death. It is structurally based on seven thematic components, that range between changing colours and forms. At the same time the moods vary from friendly to gloomy, from sensous to shocking. Next to estactic-sensous broken chords and funeral march-allusions, a slow waltz motif becomes great importance, that can be understood as a homage to Vienna.

Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op 80 is one of the darkest and most brooding of the composer's works. He started notating the initial themes in 1938, but the invasion of the Germans, and the evacuation interrupted his work on the project. Meeting David Oistrakh, the leading violin virtuoso in the USSR, put him back on track. In the autumn of 1946, Oistrakh, to whom the first Sonata is dedicated, and his regular piano accompanist Lew Oborin presented the work, the result of a turbulent 8-year incubation period, under direction of the composer. The 'Five Melodies' Op. 35a were initially vocal pieces, 'songs without words' literally. Prokofiev made use of the opportunity to experiment with the techniques and tonalities of a human voice, which would be treated like an instrument.

"One side of Schoenberg that has been given much too little attention is the fact that he always understood himself as part of the historical development of music... The present recordings are intended to underline precisely that aspect. Schoenberg’s involvement with other composers’ works amounts to more than mere orchestration, coupling a very specific instrumentation with a reinterpretation. That is suggested by the considerably increased forces called for, as well as by the very detailed indications for dynamics and phrasing, which transplant the original works into the twentieth century. Schoenberg’s works are repeatedly characterised by the simultaneous use of Baroque and Classical forms, as is very clearly evident in the variations of op.43b" Jun Markl

Radio-recording from the main auditorium of the Leipzig MDR Studio Augustusplatz: January 28-31, 2008.

This is a Beethoven album full of contrasts: the light-hearted Triple Concerto in C major together with Piano Concerto No. 3 in the “tragic” key of C minor. A group of illustrious musicians under the direction of Kent Nagano capture the sweeping range of emotions in these great works.

The charismatic young virtuoso Johannes Moser performs two 20th century masterworks. Each new release from this artist has received critical acclaim and rave reviews. “…a most impressive achievement that can only enhance this gifted cellist’s growing reputation.” Gramophone (HAEN93257 Bax, Bridge, Britten Sonatas).

For his new concerto recording, Johannes Moser has selected three rarely heard 20th century concertos. This artist continues to thrill audiences around the world with his stunning virtuosity and creative programming. These are wonderful performances.

The young German cellist Johannes Moser is now an international music celebrity. He has built his reputation in part on his exquisite performances of surprising chamber music repertoire. He continues in this vein with a selection of English works for cello and piano. With a large, full richly moderated tone, Johannes Moser’s cello perfectly fits these British works. Both cellist and pianist are in their element.

A winning programme of rarities and surprises, including a lyrical and neglected Cello Sonata by Martucci and miniatures by Kirchner, who was a piano virtuoso and gambling addict.

These works are both sweepingly romantic and an acid test for any player’s technical finesse. Apart from the popular First Concerto and the ubiquitous “Swan”, Saint-Saëns composed a Second Cello Concerto in addition to several other shorter works for Cello and orchestra, most of which are seldom heard in performance. Stunning performances from the young start cellist, Johannes Moser.