Schubert; Winterreise Vocal & Song Piano Chandos

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FRANZ SCHUBERT

Winterreise, Op.89, D911 (1827-28)

71:32

(Winter Journey)

A Cycle of Songs by Wilhelm Müller

for Voice with Piano Accompaniment

Erste Abteilung

Gute Nacht (Good Night). Mäßig

5:28

Die Wetterfahne (The Weathervane). Ziemlich geschwind

1:58

III

Gefrorne Tränen (Frozen Tears). Nicht zu langsam

2:20

Erstarrung (Numbness). Ziemlich schnell

3:16

Der Lindenbaum (The Linden Tree). Mäßig

4:48

Wasserflut (Flood). Langsam

3:50

VII

Auf de Flusse (On the River). Langsam

3:27

VIII

Rückblick (Backward Glance). Nicht zu geschwind

2:08

Irrlicht (Will-o'-the'Wisp). Langsam

2:32

10.

Rast (Rest). Mäßig

3:25

11.

Frühlingstraum (Dream of Spring). Etwas bewegt - Schnell -

3:52

12.

XII

Einsamkeit (Loneliness). Langsam

2:37

Zweite Abteilung

13.

XIII

Die Post (The Post). Etwas geschwind

2:17

14.

XIV

Der greise Kopf (The Grey Head). Etwas langsam

2:51

15.

Die Krähe (The Crow). Etwas langsam

2:05

16.

XVI

Letzte Hoffnung (Last Hope). Nicht zu geschwind -

2:05

17.

XVII

Im Dorfe (In the Village). Etwas langsam

3:30

18.

XVIII

Der stürmische Morgen (The Stormy Morning). Ziemlich geschwind, doch kräftig

0:55

19.

XIX

Täuschung (Delusion). Etwas geschwind

1:28

20.

Der Wegweiser (The Signport). Mäßig

4:17

21.

XXI

Das Wirtshaus (The Inn). Sehr langsam

4:18

22.

XXII

Mut! (Courage!). Ziemlich geschwind, kräftig

1:30

23.

XXIII

Die Nebensonnen (The Mock Suns). Nicht zu langsam

2:53

24.

XXIV

Der Leiermann (The Hurdy-gurdy Player). Etwas langsam

3:42

Total time: 71:32

“… His [Williams] supple and lovely voice is as gorgeous here as I have ever heard it. His pitch control, agility in moving passages, changes of vocal color, and well-chosen dynamics are tasteful and astute. This is a gentler and gorgeously clear reading that emphasises forlorn sadness more than despondent anger …”

Robert A Moore – American Record Guide – July/August 2021

“… the most haunting songs, such as “Die Krähe” and “Der Leiermann,” are memorably touching. I had always believed in Williams as an artist, and here he puts his dramatic and vocal gifts impressively on display. I doubt that Lieder lovers will fail to be moved.”

Huntley Dent – Fanfare – May/June 2021

“…This is a very fine traversal of Winterreise. Both Roderick Williams and Iain Burnside probe deeply below the surface of the words and music. Yet they do so in an unforced, subtle way; there’s never a suggestion that anything is done for effect… they provide a strong narrative thread and I found the performance compelling. This is a worthy companion to their previous two Schubert collaborations. Williams’ singing is wonderful throughout, He is so perceptive when it comes to articulating the meaning of the words through the music. His voice is evenly produced throughout its compass – his top register is enviable in its ease and quality – and the range of tone colours he deploys suits the music at every turn. In Iain Burnside he has the ideal partner. Burnside complements and supports his singer throughout and his pianism displays an instinctive Schubertian touch. This is a perceptive and highly skilled musical partnership at work…”

John Quinn – MusicWeb-International.com – 12 May 2021

Performance **** Recording ****

“Anyone fortunate enough to have heard Roderick Williams singing Winterreise in the concert hall guessed that something special was in the offing. And here is a recording at last, with Iain Burnside as an ever-attentive companion on this bleak journey…”

Christopher Cook – BBC Music magazine – April 2021

“… Immaculate singing and playing in this moving Winter Journey.”

Roy Westbrook – MusicWeb-International.com – 16 March 2021

“… Musically intelligent, dramatically resourceful and vocally cultivated, Roderick Williams brings a seasoned Shakespearean authority to the text, having already studied and recorded the piece in his native English...Rather than spotlighting key words, Williams sings in unbroken sentences and phrases. Pianist Iain Burnside is so adept at making the listener feel Schubert’s remarkable shifts in emotional colour … the two create a satisfying, integrated musical package that doesn’t wear its insights on its sleeve or seek operatic volatility…”

David Patrick Stearns – Gramophone magazine – March 2021

“… Williams’’ is a performance marked by vocalism completely unfettered by any mannerisms, and interpretatively honest to a fault. His German is perfectly inflected and fastidiously attentive to the poetic details of poet Wilhelm Müller’s texts. Williams’ initially restrained delivery is crystal-clear, judicious, and elegant, but when he comes to Auf dem Flusse he lets the pent-up despair the poet has held under control burst forth. It is a chilling, gut-wrenching cri de coeur as moving as one has ever heard in many a performance of this musical journey into the darkness at the end of life’s road… Throughout the hour-long plus performance Iain Burnside is the ideal partner, supportive throughout, assertive when the music demands it, technically impeccable. There are many recorded performances of this music – so many in fact that wags may be tempted to ask if one should want another Winterreise. Without hesitation I would answer “yes” if the offering is of such high quality as this perfectly engineered, sublimely performed CHANDOS CD.”

Rafael de Acha – Rafaelmusicnotes.com – 1 February 2021

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