Most musicians tend to create and cultivate a marketing image. Thus it is always a pleasure to encounter certain artists who make little fuss about their person and focus on the music itself: artists such as Joseph Moog. Born in Ludwigshafen, he was already offered a recording contract at age 13, but refused in order to avoid being touted as a Wunderkind. Instead, Moog preferred to go on pursuing his path slowly but surely – which did not prevent him from making a series of surprising artistic choices. At the age of twenty he recorded Liszt’s two piano concertos: not to display virtuoso bravura, but because he already felt a strong attraction for Liszt’s musical style and vocabulary. Instead of filling up his agenda with as many appearances as possible, Moog prefers the intimate atmosphere of chamber music recitals where he enjoys fruitful exchanges with musician colleagues. Ever since his début at the Festival in 2013, he has returned on a regular basis – almost every year. His 9th appearance at the Festival is centered on Brahms’s magnificent Paganini Variations. They require colossal virtuosity as well as an intellectual grasp of structure, thus they represent the perfect choice for an artist of the stature of Joseph Moog.