An exciting rendition of Franz Schubert's first song cycle using the beautiful Graf fortepiano from the Smithsonian's collection of musical instruments; the type of instrument for which the piece was intended. This story of blighted youth is especially rich, it tells what happens when idealistic immature notions of love taken from fiction are blasted by the grittier realities of life. Die schone Mullerin is a sequence of individual songs, which are linked in various ways by a narrative, by a unifying poetic theme, by a single poet, by musical means, or some combination of these elements. Filled with nuances, such as the athleticism of the first vocal phrase to convey the youth's energy and freshness of purpose, Schubert breaks open the music in startling rapture with any and all classical notions of song form. This song cycle is a masterpiece of Shakespearean depth and complexity. John Elwes and Kenneth Slowik are at their best!