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Pianist
Joseph Moog has gained attention not only for his performances of standard repertory but also for playing neglected and forgotten works as well as his own compositions.
Moog was born in Ludwigshafen, West Germany, near Mannheim, on December 26, 1987, and grew up in nearby Neustadt. He is apparently unrelated to Robert Moog of synthesizer fame. He took up the piano at age four and was supported by his parents, both orchestral musicians. At ten,
Moog was accepted for studies at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, and by 12, he was already concertizing, making his debut with a recital in Rio de Janeiro. He went on to the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg, studying with
Bernd Glemser, and the Hochschule für Musik, Drama und Medien in Hannover. He has performed with major orchestras around Europe and the U.S., including the
Chicago Symphony, the
Philharmonia Orchestra, and the
Helsinki Philharmonic.
Moog's recital résumé is similarly prestigious, including appearances at Wigmore Hall in London, the Frick Collection in Washington, D.C., and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. His programming is notable for its inclusion of lesser-known repertory such as the Piano Concerto of Moritz Moszkowski. He also performs and records the keyboard sonatas of
Domenico Scarlatti as well as the music of
Scriabin, with which he felt a strong affinity even in his teenage years.
Moog often, unusually for a contemporary concert pianist, plays his own compositions in concert.
Moog has made more than a dozen recordings, mostly for the Claves and Onyx Classics labels. His recording of the
Moszkowski concerto with the
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern (2015) earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. In 2020,
Moog released an Onyx recording of the
Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15, with the
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie under
Nicholas Milton.