Deborah Warner Director
Isabelle Kettle Assistant Director
Ian Bostridge Singer
Julius Drake Pianist

International opera and theatre director and Ustinov Studio Artistic Director Deborah Warner brings to life Schubert’s Winterreise (Winter Journey), a cycle of 24 songs for voice and piano set to poems by Wilhelm Müller, performed by renowned tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Julius Drake.

A man begins a long journey through the snow in deepest winter. He wanders alone, grief stricken, longing to forget the memories of his beloved who has rejected him. His journey is tortured, painful and leads him to question his identity and existence.

Composed in 1827 towards the end of his short life, Franz Schubert’s Winterreise is considered one of the greatest and most powerful musical masterpieces. The music captures the torrent of emotion and poetic themes of loneliness, darkness, winter and love. Deborah Warner’s new staging for the Ustinov Studio honours Schubert’s original intention for the piece to be sung to an intimate gathering.

Ian Bostridge’s extraordinary international career has taken him to the foremost concert halls, orchestras and opera houses of the world. His vast experience with Schubert’s Winterreise (he has performed the song cycle in concert over 100 times) inspires his book Schubert’s Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession (2015).

With an international reputation as one of the finest instrumentalists in his field, Julius Drake collaborates with many of the world’s leading artists, both in recital and on disc. He has performed and recorded Winterreise with Bostridge and many artists throughout his career.

“Winter Journey” is an indispensable work of art that should be as much a part of our common experience as the poetry of Shakespeare and Dante, the paintings of Van Gogh and Picasso, the novels of the Brontë sisters or Marcel Proust.” Ian Bostridge

Véronique Gens,, soprano
Fleur Barron, mezzo-soprano
Laurence Kilsby, tenor
Stéphane Degout, baritone
Susan Manoff, piano
Julius Drake, piano

The Gabriel Fauré Centenary Celebrations open with a song gala involving some of Fauré’s finest contemporary interpreters, who explore the composer’s output at various stages, and all of whom share in the performance of La bonne chanson.

Programme

Julia Kleiter, soprano
Christoph Prégardien, tenor
Julius Drake, piano

Programme

Felix Mendelssohn
Es lauschte das Laub Op. 86 No. 1
Morgenlied Op. 86 No. 2
Die Liebende schreibt Op. 86 No. 3
Allnächtlich im Traume Op. 86 No. 4
Der Mond Op. 86 No. 5
Altdeutsches Frühlingslied Op. 86 No. 6
Frühlingslied Op. 19a No. 1
Das erste Veilchen Op. 19a No. 2
Winterlied Op. 19a No. 3
Neue Liebe Op. 19a No. 4
Gruss Op. 19a No. 5
Reiselied Op. 19a No. 6

Franz Liszt
Schwebe, schwebe, blaues Auge S305/1
Kling leise, mein Lied S301/2
Mignons Lied (Kennst du das Land) S275/2
Wo weilt er? S295
Im Rhein, im schönen Strome S272/1
Morgens steh’ ich auf und frage S290/1
Anfangs wollt’ ich fast verzagen S311
Du bist wie eine Blume S287
Vergiftet sind meine Lieder S289
Ein Fichtenbaum steht einsam S309
Die Loreley S273/4
Die Macht der Musik S302

Felix Mendelssohn
Abschiedslied der Zugvögel Op. 63 No. 2
Ich wollt’ meine Lieb’ ergösse sich Op. 63 No. 1