This album was recorded in October 2010 at Air Studios, Lyndhurst Hall, London, with Robina G. Young as producer and Brad Michel as recording engineer and editor.
Composer Biography
Franz Schubert was gravely ill with a venereal disease in 1827, but this did not hinder his creativity, as he completed Winterreise and two piano trios that year.
Composition History
Schwanengesang, as we know it today, was an invention of the Viennese publisher Tobias Haslinger, who compiled Schubert's last songs for publication in 1829.
Critical Reception
Mark Padmore and Paul Lewis's previous Schubert recording, Winterreise, received Gramophone Magazine's 2010 'Vocal Solo Award' and was named 'Recording of the Month' in November 2009.
Performer Biography
Mark Padmore, the tenor on this recording, studied at King's College, Cambridge, and has an international career in concert, opera, and recital, notably in Bach's Passions.
Performer Biography
Paul Lewis, the pianist on this recording, studied with Joan Havill and Alfred Brendel, and has a strong relationship with London's Wigmore Hall, where he has performed over forty times.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schubert's final songs, including those in Schwanengesang, encapsulate the sadness of a composer who felt that his 'most brilliant hopes [had] come to nothing'.
