For many years Austrian bass singer Robert Holzer and pianist Thomas Kerbl have been performing manifold concert programmes and CD recordings. Their latest album puts a focus on the literary form of the ballade and its musical processing. Subtitled “Ballades Through the Ages” it spans an arc from works of the middle ages (two ballades with hurdy-gurdy), by Franz Schubert (e.g. Erlkönig and Prometheus), Carl Loewe (Die Uhr), Heinrich Marschner, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms und Hugo Wolf (Der Feuerreiter) to the Ballade vom Bettelvogt by Wilhelm Weismann. A musical programme which has proven very successful in many concerts will finally be released on CD.

Internationally acclaimed Austrian bass Robert Holzer studied singing at the Bruckner University in Linz with Prof. Gertrud Schulz and also at the University Mozarteum Salzburg with Prof. Rudolf Knoll. In 1991, he gave his debut at the Vienna State Opera and from 1996 until 2000, Holzer worked as first soloist bass at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, Germany. His repertoire includes leading roles of the German and the Italian repertoire. Numerous TV, Radio and CD productions and recordings document the singer’s artistic activities.

After piano studies in Linz, Thomas Kerbl developed a profound concert career both as a soloist and lied accompanist. At the age of 27 he became appointed the post of head of the lied oratorio class at the Bruckner Konservatorium, and became 2005 head of the department of singing and voice.