This two-CD set contains four different kinds of iterations of the Viennese spirit: Duets, Lieder, dialect literature, and Schrammelmusik, all of which stem from the vineyard that is Vienna and all of which, for all their variety and different flavor, stand for what makes Vienna, musically speaking. It’s a fortuitous confluence of circumstances when a celebrated operatic bass like Günther Groissböck and a likewise popular tenor like Karl-Michael Ebner develop a friendship and discover their mutual love for Wienerlied, Vienna’s unique musical and socio-cultural phenomenon. Even more so, if this leads to an album production like the one at hand, which additionally features spoken interludes – witty but also pointed, biting, and sarcastic Viennese poems by Trude Marzik, Josef Weinheber and H.C. Artmann, read with great charm by Christoph Wagner-Trenkwitz – as well as captivating instrumentals by the Philharmonia-Schrammeln.