Q&A with Cellist Daniel Müller-Schott

Your career has taken you around the world and across a huge range ofrepertoire. Has your relationship with music changed over time – and if so, how? Well, it has certainly become deeper over the years. The older you get, the more you realize lifetime is limited and very precious. And in music, you are constantly forced to think about “expressing” time. Therefore, I’m sure every note counts even more than 20 years ago, and this alone makes a deeper impact for me making music today. 

Elgar’s Cello Concerto has become one of the most emotionally resonant works in the cello repertoire. What draws you to this piece, and what do you hope audiences hear in it today? I would wish that everyone can newly experience this masterpiece and find fulfillment, expression, melancholy, and yet comforting elements through the philosophy that Elgar conveys.

This November, you’ll be performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto with us at Symphony Series 8 – Seasons. Do you approach the performance of a work like the Elgar differently in 2025 than you would have a decade ago? It certainly has changed, because we live in such different times now. The fragility of our times makes every piece of music even more precious and certainly this one. This is what I feel. Elgar was mourning about a time that he thought about which was being lost. The time of romanticism. And he had experienced the horrors of the First World War, which left him in deep shock and confusion. So, this piece is a reaction to this. It is in some ways a Requiem, he created his last big symphonic piece for Cello and Orchestra. 

In between your travels and performances, what keeps you creatively grounded? Are there rituals, routines, or escapes that help you reset? In general, I love traveling. Wherever I go, I like to explore different cultures and cities, getting to know the people, and trying to understand how societies of different countries are functioning. And I love nature very much. Whenever I have time, I go out and do some hiking or just sit somewhere under a tree, reflecting on life. And when I’m home, I’m happy to spend all the time I have together with my family. 

Is there any music – old or new, inside or outside classical – that has surprised or inspired you recently? I’m very open in experiencing all kinds of genres of our time. I always like to know what moves people in our times. If it’s a Coldplay song, Billie Eilish or some Jazz, I like to hear it and draw some inspiration from that. In Classical music I’m working with composers of our time to create new music as well. But here in Adelaide I’m just happy diving into the mysterious world of Elgar again and sharing it with everyone.