Schubert: Winterreise

Featuring

Joyce DiDonato
Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Franz Schubert

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Franz Schubert considered his song cycle Winterreise to be a singular, crowning achievement in song, liking it more than all his other compositions.

Composer Biography

Schubert, nicknamed 'Schwammerl' (little mushroom) due to his stature, was myopic and had thinning hair from mercury treatment for syphilis.

Composer Biography

Schubert suffered from ill health and wrote a harrowing poem and letter expressing his profound unhappiness and desire for release from physical torment.

Composition History

Schubert initially composed only the first twelve songs of Winterreise in early 1827, based on poems by Wilhelm Müller published in an almanac.

Compositional Technique

Unlike his earlier work Die schöne Müllerin, Winterreise is virtually devoid of plot and lacks forward momentum, often featuring circular musical patterns or indeterminate endings.

Interpretation

Performer Joyce DiDonato approached Winterreise by imagining the perspective of the woman who was the catalyst for the protagonist's journey, creating her own story for the character.

Critical Reception

At its first performance, Schubert's friends were "utterly taken aback" by the "gloomy mood" of Winterreise, with one friend liking only a single song.