Johannes Möller
Johannes Moller and Laura Fraticelli perform Mertz on August 6th, 2014.
I first heard about Johannes Möller 4 years ago immediately following the 2010 GFA Competition and Convention. I saw the footage of the competition winner which happened to be him. I still remember the first time I saw the video I thought, Wow he's amazing! No wonder why he won! He performed flawlessly, with such artistry, and his curly platinum-blonde hair added to his charm.
Fast forward two years later, I got to see him perform at the 2012 Segovia Concert Series at Northwestern Illinois University. His performance was a really special one as I had never heard anyone play like him with such exquisitely striking, crystal clear tone. After the concert, I picked up a copy of his Naxos CD which I had him sign. I don’t think I said much to him because I was too nervous to say anything!
Beautiful CD, I recommend it if you haven't heard it yet.
So now it’s two years later in Nürtingen. The first time I encountered him was after David Russell’s concert when we were hanging out at the hotel bar/ restaurant. We were celebrating Shingo Fujii’s 60th birthday with a really big cake. Johannes and his adorable son sat next to me to join the party for some cake. His son, Dario is such a cute boy and I couldn’t get enough of him! Johannes is the most friendliest person, easy going, and a great dad to his son.
Father and son
Sweet little Dario, busy eating his cake :)
The next day, I lucked out in getting a masterclass with Johannes. I say lucky because I originally wasn’t scheduled to be in his class. What happened was… a friend I made at the festival told me that he had two lessons with Möller on the same day, so he was asking if anyone wanted to trade one of his lessons with him. I jumped on it and said, “Oh my gosh, I want a lesson with him!!!!” So I gave up my lesson with Johannes Monno for Möller and got to play for him first thing in the morning. His teaching was very gentle and welcoming. When I brought my piece, Barrios Waltz Op.8 No.4 he said, “It’s one of my favorite pieces!” He helped me with some left hand fingerings, articulation, and some timing issues I had because I tend to add too much rubato everywhere. He told me I should really save that for the most special moments.
Masterclass with Möller.
In Nürtingen, I cried three times. The first time was at Möller’s concert when he played one of my favorite pieces by Barrios, Un Sueno en la Floresta. His tremolo was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard and the way he paced and phrased the whole thing was just pure perfection. He really told a story, very beautifully and expressively. I’ve heard that piece played many times by many superb performers, but it was by far the most flawless take I’ve heard and it really moved me. Watching Johannes perform was very exciting because he has great stage presence. His playing is very sharp, flawless, detailed, clear, powerful, dynamic, and expressive. I can't say enough good things about his playing, it's just so incredible.
Program
That night, he played a lot of his own compositions which were picturesque, virtuosic, modern, serene, beautifully haunting and some of his pieces had Indian influences which made it truly unique. So of course after the concert, I had to get a copy of his CD with original works (as shown below). He also performed two duets with his wife, Laura Fraticelli, which turned out to be a complete surprise to me because I had no idea she was a classical guitarist! I heard they are currently working on a recording of Mertz duets which I'm really looking forward to hearing! I already can't wait for the next time I get to see Johannes Möller. I hope that day will come soon :)
Check out this video below. It's one of my favorite pieces by Möller played by the composer himself.