„Like a tightrope walker soloist Johann Ludwig moved in Dmitri Shostakovich’s Concerto for Cello & Orchestra No. 1 in E Flat Major, Op. 107 above the often light orchestral writing. The way the soloist, well known to the Wiesbaden audience as concertmaster of the State Orchestra’s cello section, drove the dynamic outer movements forward with equal ease and precision, with variable color and straightforwardness, perfectly captured the spirit of the work. … The solo cadenza, elevated to a separate movement, the third, allowed Ludwig, like his Bach encore, to descend into a strong introversion.“ Axel Zibulski, FAZ
Johann Ludwig belongs to the most versatile cellists.
Besides his work as concertmaster of the cellos of the Hessian State Orchestra Wiesbaden he performs as soloist and chamber musician, teaches, composes and arranges, produces recordings and optimises the sound adjustment of string instruments.
Born in Cologne, Germany, he grew up in a family of musicians. He was surrounded by musicians like the Amadeus Quartet, the Melos Quartet, Siegfried Palm, Boris Pergamenschikov who substantially shaped him.
Since his debut as soloist with the State Orchestra Frankfurt/Oder at the age of eleven he has performed with orchestras like the Czech National Orchestra and the WDR Funkhausorchester in concert halls like the Rudolfinum Prague, Philharmonie Cologne and the Tonhalle Düsseldorf. International festivals in Davos, Dresden, Schleswig-Holstein, Rheingau, Osaka and Belo Horizonte invited him for concerts.
Ludwig repeatedly won the competition „Jugend musiziert“, and the Charles Hennen Concours in the Netherlands. He was a stipendiary of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.
After having been principal cellist in Regensburg and Karlsruhe he joined the Hessian State Orchestra Wiesbaden as concertmaster of the cellos in 2015 and has been principal cellist of the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra for several years. In his function as principal cellist he works with conductors like Christian Thielemann, Sir Roger Norrington, Semyon Bychkov and Philippe Jordan.
The broad spectrum of his work includes teaching, chamber music, composing and producing. His deep love for historically informed performance practice led to his co-founding of the Rheingau Chamber Orchestra. Another matter close to his heart is the sound adjustment of string instruments.
Johann Ludwig mainly plays an Italian cello from the 18th century.