Schubert's Schwanengesang like never before: Frank Havroy (vocals) and Gunnar Flagstad (piano) release their own highly personal version of Schubert's Schwanengesang on the Norwegian Simax label.

This lied cycle (which was not intended to be a cycle at all by Schubert, but became one after his death) is one of Schubert's most iconic works. Many of the 14 songs in the collection have grown to be among Schubert's most well-known songs, with titles like "Ständchen", "Der Doppelgänger" and "Das Fischermadchen".

Frank Havroy and Gunnar Flagstad, well-known under the artist name frankagunnar, attack the songs with new approaches, challenging the tradition of lieder performance, creating a completely new interpretation of the song cycle. It is a multiple genre approach, allowing every musical idea to be exploited and examined, resulting in a musical landscape where everything is allowed, but without losing sight of the original songs.

Frank Havroy and Gunnar Flagstad both work as associate professors at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. They are also busy freelance artists, each involved in a large number of musical ventures: Frank as a singer, actor, writer, composer and a long-time member of the vocal ensemble Nordic Voices; Gunnar as a passionate and versatile pianist and chamber musician, regularly performing with leading Norwegian musicians at major festivals and concert venues in Norway and abroad. This is their first recording together.