Franz Schubert - Die schöne Müllerin (Markus Miesenberger; Christian Haimel)

Information

Composer: Franz Schubert

• Die schöne Müllerin, Op. 25, D. 795 (Arr. for Guitar by Konrad Ragossnig and John W. Duarte)

Markus Miesenberger, tenor

Christian Haimel, guitar

Date: 2026

Label: Challenge Classics

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Tenor Markus Miesenberger and guitarist Christian Haimel present an intimate new interpretation of Franz Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin, capturing the tragic journey of love, longing, and despair through Wilhelm Müller’s poetry. Moving away from traditional piano accompaniment, the duo utilizes a gut-strung Biedermeier guitar to evoke the authentic soundscape of Schubert’s Vienna, providing extraordinary transparency, lightness, and emotional vulnerability. Recorded at Bert van der Wolf’s High Street Studio in a Dutch church renowned for its natural acoustics and silence, the album combines historical instrumentation with modern engineering to deliver a deeply personal, transparent perspective on this classic song cycle.

Austrian lyric tenor Markus Miesenberger trained in Vienna and Salzburg, studying voice under Robert Holl, Artur Korn, and Sebastian Vittucci, alongside violin and baroque viola with Ernst Kovacic and Michi Gaigg. An acclaimed concert, lieder, and opera singer, he performs regularly at prestigious venues—including the Wiener Musikverein and Wiener Konzerthaus—and major festivals such as the Salzburg Festival and Schubertiade Schwarzenberg. Miesenberger collaborates with world-renowned conductors like Christian Thielemann and Andrés Orozco-Estrada, as well as leading ensembles including the Staatskapelle Dresden and L’Orfeo Baroque Orchestra. Winner of the International H.I.F. Biber Competition’s Franz Joseph Aumann Prize, his prolific career spans diverse operatic roles and extensive discography.

Acclaimed Austrian guitarist Christian Haimel is celebrated for his expressive, versatile interpretations spanning Renaissance to contemporary repertoire. A graduate with honors from the Anton Bruckner Private University in Linz and the University of Alicante, Haimel studied under Marianne Waidhofer and attended masterclasses with icons like David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, and Leo Brouwer. His 2007 debut album featuring works by Giuliani, Ponce, Walton, and Truhlář earned ORF Ö1’s prestgious Pasticcio Prize. An award-winner at international competitions across Europe, he performs globally as a soloist and chamber musician, while actively teaching classical guitar in Upper Austria.

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