Artist Profile

Edith Wiens

Album Credits: I have released over 30 classical CDs including works of Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Grieg, Mendelssohn, Mahler, Zemlinsky, Schumann and Wagner on EMI, Erato, Philips and CBC labels. I have also released CDs by MB Communications and MCC (e.g. Carols for the Infant King).

Home Church: I grew up in the Vancouver 43rd St. MB Church where my father was the minister. Here in Germany we attend the local Lutheran church

What is your Ministry: My aim is to be the "salt of the earth" by reaching the centre of each person in my audience. My oratorio class at the university is a joy, as secular kids begin to feel the power of the music and message.

Personal Data: I'm married to Kai Moser, cellist in the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. We have two sons, Johannes (19) and Benny (17) who are also budding musicians; our cat, Schnurri, is an appreciate family member, too. I am also dean at the Musik Hochschule of Düsseldorf.

Musical Influences: Conductors such as Kurt Masur and Seiji Ozawa and university teachers Richard Miller and Erik Werba. But the work with every colleague, with every pianist and orchestra adds another dimension to my own work—that's the satisfaction of my profession. The masterworks of music themselves always stay the greatest influence.

Musical Style: Not hard to guess, is it? Classical

What do you listen to these days? I love listening to Benny practising Rachmaninoff and Chopin. Kai and I listened recently to the Schumann Violin Concerto with Gidon Kremer and tonight we'll hear Gruberova sing Anna Bolena at the Münich Opera.

What do you listen to on the road? Rehearsal tapes, to stay focussed on the performance. But I prefer reading while travelling.

What are you reading right now? Back issues of The New York Times book reviews to know what to order next! What touched me deeply in the last months was Thomas 'A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ.

Jon Brandt


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