There are many things that fascinate us about successful musicians. Of course, there’s the “fame and fortune” of the most successful, but mostly we stand in awe of their mastery, confidence, passion, and the sheer joy they get from creating a memorable performance. Today let’s look at German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, who recently launched a new album (more on that below), and what makes him such a masterful musician.
Daniel Müller-Schott studied with the best
The New York Times once remarked that Daniel is “...a fearless player with outstanding technique.” Indeed, impeccable playing technique must be the foundation for any professional string musician. Equally important however, is their tutelage.
Daniel Müller-Schott studied with an incredible roster of musical mentors, including Heinrich Schiff, who made our list of The Top 7 Cellists of All Time and taught several of our previously spotlighted artists such as: Natalie Clein, Gautier Capuçon, and Sol Daniel Kim. Daniel’s impressive roster of teachers also includes Walter Nothas, Steven Isserlis, Mstislaw Rostropowitsch, and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter.
As an aspiring musician in a competitive field, you know it takes more than talent to make your way to the top. While we always advocate for having a tireless work ethic, working hard and talent simply aren't enough either. Exposure in the right arenas is almost always how most professional musical careers are launched. In the classical music world that level of exposure comes when you perform in top-tier music competitions.
A first-place competition win launched Daniel's career
In 1992, at age 15, Daniel captured the orchestral world’s attention when he took first place at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for young musicians in Moscow. That attention led to invitations to perform all over the world with some of the most renowned orchestras and conductors. Since that competition, he has played with all of the major orchestras in the United States and Europe, as well as in Asia with Tokyo's NHK Symphony Orchestra, Taiwan's National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
Over time, Daniel’s consistent and compelling performances have also led to his solo performances at international music festivals, including the London Proms, the Schubertiade, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Schwetzingen, the Heidelberg Spring, and the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Festival. Here in the United States, classical music aficionados have listened to Daniel and his famous cello at festivals in the Hollywood Bowl, at Bravo! Vail, Ravinia, and Tanglewood.
Daniel has a long list of successful musical recordings. We are enjoying his newest release, Johannes Brahms: The Cello Sonatas, which launched in August 2020 and featured Swiss pianist Francesco Piemontesi. The album is already starting to receive excellent reviews among classical music media.
Daniel's evolving "friendship" with Bach and other composers
One of the things we admire most about Daniel Müller-Schott is how he intentionally makes an effort to form a personal connection (more like an intuitive “knowing”) with the composer of any piece he performs. He takes a special delight in connecting the threads between the past and the present.
In a 2019 interview with classical music blogger Young-Jin Hur, Hur spoke with him about how he was known to do extensive research on composers, such as doing an in-depth tour of the Dvořák Museum in Prague while getting ready to perform Dvořák’s cello concerto. She asked if that is a regular practice for him.
Daniel replied:
“...when I was just in Hamburg to play the Brahms Double Concerto, I went to the Brahms museum. I spoke with the director there and tried to know more about Brahms the person. This is what I believe counts the most in the end. You want to be friends with the composers because you spend so much time playing and reflecting about their music. You want to have that background and understand what kind of person was writing the music. There is no end to it, and we can always learn some more.”
Watch and listen to Daniel as he performs Saint-Säen’s cello concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic at the Konzerthaus.
Although Daniel personally researches every composer whose piece he performs, the bulk of his studies are dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach. He is so dedicated to Bach’s music that he chose to suspend releasing his first recorded CD until the year 2000 (Bach’s anniversary year), so he could perform Bach’s Six Suites for Cello. Moreover, in a joint effort to honor the 2018 Day of German Unity and his late, beloved teacher, Mstislaw Rostropowitsch, Daniel played multiple pieces by J. S. Bach in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to an audience of 500,000.
Clearly, Daniel continues to labor with love and dedication to his musicianship — from researching composers to studying, practicing and challenging himself to play with the best of the best. We look forward to seeing what life has in store for the exceptionally talented and exciting cellist Daniel Müller-Schott.
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