A SENTIMENTAL MOMENT
Schubert's piano music for Romantic Viennese Guitars
“A wonderful new recording. Highly recommended.”
“‘Among the best albums of 2019. Danish-Swiss duo offer powerful and shimmering two-guitar readings of Schubert solo piano works.’”
“Singing and highly virtuosic. This CD is a must for Schubert connoisseurs.”
“Astonishing…unbelievable moving”
“Sensational success”
“Magnificent”
CD release on Challenge Records International: November 2, 2018
Programme: Franz Schubert: 6 Moments Musicaux op. 94, 3 Impromptus, Valses Sentimentales
Schubert and the Guitar
- Duo Morat-Fergo talk about their project
We admit it, we are a bit sentimental when it comes to Schubert.
It is so very tempting to imagine that Schubert could have written some of his masterpieces for the guitar, had he only played the instrument better. The fact that he owned a guitar throughout most of his life – and never a piano – makes it impossible for us not to ponder about all the guitar music that could have come from the hands of this genius.
Visiting the workshop of luthier Jan Tulacek, who built the guitars played by Duo Morat-Fergo
We started to speculate about how Schubert would have composed his Moments Musicaux for the guitar and realized that it was not possible to reach the original polyphony and harmonies on one guitar, but that it was: on two.
Then, with the modern guitar technique and the possibilities of a guitar duo, we dared to realize another take on Schubert's musical ideas and found out that his music flourishes so naturally in the sound world of the guitar.
The Romantic Viennese Guitars
It is interesting to remember that the tension in the strings of the pianos in Schubert's time would have been somewhat lower than modern pianos. Hence the sound is softer on period instruments.
We chose to play romantic Viennese guitars. These instruments, which are so rooted in the times of a Schubertian Vienna, have similar qualities as the historic pianos. With their mellow, bittersweet sounds and the naivety from the folk music echoing in the instruments, we find that we can capture a new side to the spirit of Schubert in our arrangements of his piano music.