Max Müller records music by Tröster, Llobet, and de Falla

GSI recently welcomed Max Müller to its showroom for a recording session featuring works by Michael Tröster, Miguel Llobet, and Manuel de Falla. Performed on four different guitars, the program combined contemporary studies with two staples of the Spanish guitar repertoire.

Müller opened with Etude No. 6 by Michael Tröster on a 2024 Hironori Fukuda guitar, followed by Etude No. 9 on a 2025 Antonio Zwirn. In addition to his career as a concert guitarist, Tröster has written a number of pedagogical works that pair technical challenges with strong musical ideas. Muller approached both études with care, bringing out their contrasting characters while keeping the melody as the main line.

He also performed El Noi de la Mare, the traditional Catalan Christmas song arranged by Miguel Llobet, on a 2026 Mario Grimaldi guitar. Llobet's arrangement has become one of the best-known works in the guitar repertoire, preserving the simplicity of the original folk melody while enriching it with expressive harmonies. Muller played the melody allowing its lyricism to come through.

The program concluded with Manuel de Falla's Homenaje pour Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy on a 2003 Robert Ruck guitar. Written in 1920 in memory of Debussy, the work was the first piece composed for guitar by de Falla and remains one of the composer's most important contributions to the instrument. It incorporates references to flamenco alongside subtle quotations of Debussy's music, creating a work that bridges French Impressionism and Spanish tradition. Muller brought a clear sense of direction to the piece, highlighting its contrasting colors and distinctive harmonic language.

Together, these performances showcased Max Muller's thoughtful approach to a program that balanced contemporary works with some of the guitar's most enduring repertoire.