The first release by Classical Guitar Duo Morat-Fergo on Challenge Classics focusses on the works of Franz Schubert. The Swiss-Danish guitar duo was founded by classical guitarists Raoul Morat and Christian Fergo in 2014 and their mutual captivation of Schubert’s music inspired them to perform the masterpieces by the Austrian composer.

“We started out by arranging Moments Musicaux. It was with delight that we realized how well these pieces work for guitar: the intimacy, serenity and folklore in Schubert’s piano music, so to speak, lived within the character of the guitar - and in order to move even closer into his world, we decided to play copies of guitars from Schubert’s time, with the very sound quality Schubert would have heard in the Viennese musical circles.”

Raoul Morat and Christian Fergo studied together at the music academy of Lucerne with German Echo-Prize winner Frank Bungarten. In just a few short years they have created a new repertoire of romantic music through their arrangements for guitar duo and established themselves as one of the most exceptional guitar duos to emerge in recent years.

The ‘grande dame’ of the piano, Elisabeth Leonskaja, commented after hearing the duo: ‘Recently I experienced a magical moment of music. Two fine musicians - Christian Fergo and Raoul Morat - playing Schubert on two guitars. I felt transformed back to the time of Schubert and thought I was hearing pianos from his epoch. A moment full of magical sounds.’