Duo Morat-Fergo • Guitar Duo
The Swiss-Danish guitar duo Morat-Fergo was founded by classical guitarists Raoul Morat and Christian Fergo in 2014. They studied together at the music academy of Lucerne with German Echo-Prize winner Frank Bungarten. In only a few 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.
Their mutual captivation of Franz Schubert’s music inspired them to start the duo to perform the masterpieces by the Austrian composer. The duo’s arrangement of Schubert’s Moments Musicaux op. 94 reveals new sound aspects and interpretorical shades to the music. In january 2015 they premiered the work in Lucerne, which prompted an outstanding reception.
The ‘Grand Dame’ of the great pianists of our time Elisabeth Leonskaja said this after hearing the duo: ‘Recently I experienced a magical moment of music. Two fine musicians – Christian Fergo and Raoul Morat – played Schubert on two guitars. I felt transformed back to the time of Schubert and thought I heard pianos from his Epoche. A moment full of magic sounds.’
To come closer to the original sound of the 19th Century, the duo plays copies of romantic Viennese guitars from the time of Schubert.
Their high artistic level combined with strong individual musical personalities has proven to be an exciting combination. Christian and Raoul have performed as duo and soloists in many countries across Europe including Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland and China. The duo’s own arrangement of Schubert’s monumental lieder cycle ‘Winterreise’ for voice and guitar duo was premiered with German tenor Julian Pregardien to great acclaim in February 2016. That year they also performed ”Schubertreise”, a work specially written for the duo by Irish composer Martin O’Leary.
Further music partners include: bass-singer René Perler, the cellists Mattia Zappa (Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich) and Sebastian Diezig (Lucerne Symphony Orchestra).
This season includes recitals in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, as well as the recording of the duo’s first CD with their own arrangements of piano music by Schubert.
A SENTIMENTAL MOMENT
Schubert’s piano music for Romantic Viennese Guitars
SCHUBERT’S WINTERREISE
The famous song cycle with Julian Prégardien or Georg Poplutz
ONE CELLO – TWO GUITARS
A recital with cellist Mattia Zappa – Music by Bach, de Falla and Schubert
NEW MUSIC FOR GUITAR DUO
Schubertreise by Irish composer Martin O’Leary
Videos
Photos
“A wonderful new recording. Highly recommended.”
(about CD “A Sentimental Moment” by Challenge Classics)
SRF2, Swiss Radio 2
„Lyrical piano works by Franz Schubert in arrangements for two guitars and played
on romantic instruments are an ‘audiolicious’ version, broadening the repertoire
in the most delightful manner. The arrangements and the playing of the Morat-Fergo Duo are sublime and exciting as well.“
Uwe Krusch, www.pizzicato.lu
“Franz Schubert für zwei Gitarren zu transkribieren ist wirklich etwas völlig Neues, ein bisher unentdecktes Gebiet. Seine Musik will nie nur durch Virtuosität beeindrucken, sondern vor allem durch vielfältige Stimmungen und Klangfarben. Und die malen Morat und Fergo mit ihren Gitarren als hätte man Schubert nie anders gespielt.”
Carolin Hasenauer, Hessischer Rundfunk
“Das Resultat ist überzeugend, weil es die Musik zeitlos auf intelligente Weise durch- und ausleuchtet.”
Wolfgang Bähler, Schweizerische Musikzeitung
“…großes gitarristisches Können.”
„Feingliedrig, intim, bezaubernd“
Frederik Hanssen, Tagesspiegel
Schubert’s piano music for Romantic Viennese Guitars
“We had always felt the guitar unconsciously lingering in Schubert’s musical language. That, combined with our love for Schubert’s music, sparked the desire to musically arrange and finally discover Schubert’s world, not only as listeners, but as performers. 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”.
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 transported back to the time of Schubert and thought I was hearing pianos from his epoch. A moment full of magical sounds.”
Challenge Classics, 2018, 1 CD, Catalogue number: CC 72791