For many years Austrian bass singer Robert Holzer and pianist Thomas Kerbl have been performing manifold concert programs and album recordings. Their latest release puts a focus on the literary form of the ballade and it's 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. This is a musical program which has proven very successful in many concerts will finally be released on recording. Robert Holzer studied singing at the Bruckner Konservatorium in Linz and at the University Mozarteum Salzburg. His career was launched when he won first prize at Austria's National Youth Competition, subsequently debuting at the Kammeroper Vienna. Because of his wide Lied and concert repertoire, Holzer is a residence artist at international festivals and concert halls across Europe, North America, and Asia. Thomas Kerbl completed his piano studies at the Bruckner Konservatorium in Linz. In addition to many solo concerts, it was the art of lied accompaniment that got himmany concert invitations and led him to head the lied oratorio class at his alma mater at the age of 27.