Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin
Experience one of the most profound and intimate emotional journeys in the classical canon as the acclaimed duo of baritone Tyler Duncan and pianist Erika Switzer bring Franz Schubert’s first great song cycle to life.
Written in 1823, Die schöne Müllerin (The Fair Maid of the Mill) is a masterpiece of storytelling. Over the course of twenty songs based on poems by Schubert’s friend Wilhelm Müller, we follow a young journeyman’s wandering path—from the optimistic bubbling of a brook to the heights of obsessive love, and finally, into the quiet shadows of heartbreak.
About Schubert’s Masterpiece
Based on the poetry of Wilhelm Müller, this cycle is the quintessential expression of German Romanticism. The brook is a constant "character," represented by flowing arpeggios in the piano. The color green appears throughout, symbolizing both the hope of spring and the bitter sting of jealousy. Schubert uses simple, folk-like melodies to mask the deep psychological complexity of the text.
The Performers
Tyler Duncan and Erika Switzer are renowned for their musical collaboration. Their partnership transforms the music into a single, breathing narrative force.
Tyler Duncan (Baritone): Praised by The New York Times for his "warm, noble baritone," Duncan brings a rare communicative clarity to German Lieder, capturing every nuance of the journeyman’s vulnerability.
Erika Switzer (Piano): A master of the collaborative arts, Switzer navigates Schubert’s evocative piano writing—where the keyboard becomes the shimmering water, the turning millwheel, and the beating heart of the protagonist.
Baritone Tyler Duncan and pianist Erika Switzer have been leading figures in the world of art song for over 25 years, delivering recitals around the world in places such as South Africa, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland, France, England and across North America. Duncan and Switzer share a deep connection to songs of the Romantic period, while also celebrating the works of living composers: they have premiered dozens of new compositions, including by Jocelyn Morlock, Jeffrey Ryan and Andrew Staniland, who have written new works for the duo. Both being born in British Columbia, Duncan and Switzer are ambassadors of Canadian Art Song.
As young artists, Duncan and Switzer were encouraged to collaborate by legendary soprano Elly Ameling. The pair honed their craft by studying with renowned Lieder performers including Dietrich Fischer Dieskau, Hans Hotter, Rudolf Jansen, Helmut Deutsch, and Brigitte Fassbaender. Switzer and Duncan are both accomplished artists on their own; Switzer has performed at New York’s Weill Hall (Carnegie), the Kennedy Center, the Bard Music Festival, and the Spoleto Festival (Charleston, SC), among many other venues; while Duncan has appeared regularly at the Metropolitan Opera, London’s Wigmore Hall, as well as at the Spoleto Festival and in Bizet’s Carmen under Seiji Ozawa. Both have won numerous prizes and awards, and are prolific teachers: Duncan is on the faculties of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University, while Switzer is on the music faculty at Bard College and the Bard Conservatory of Music.
English Songs à la française is Duncan and Switzer’s first duo album and their second album, A Left Coast was released in 2023, both on the Bridge Records label.