Schubert: Winterreise, Op. 89, D. 911 (Live)

Robert Cummings  - Recording of the year 2019

“Bostridge's Winterreise may generate a little controversy but to me this performance becomes an engrossing experience. He is abetted by the fine accompaniment of Thomas Adès.”

“… Bostridge, with his sweet and open tone, and Adès, who can drill down to the core of this astounding music, are two superb communicators with a great empathy and understanding of each other. Their partnership ensures that this engrossing and special reading of the tragic winter odyssey does not disappoint…” *****

Nominee for Vocal Recording of the Year Award 2019

Pizzicato Supersonic

“… Supported by Thomas Ades, who fully share his emotional view, Bostridge succeeds in creating a rare unity of the music by combining the individual songs into a single line of thought. Fully captivated by the music, the listener absorbs this confession of a young, rejected lover and follows his path to the tragic end.”

Choral & Song Choice

“…The tenor’s imagination and interpretative skill is made evident at almost every turn…But Bostridge’s reluctance – or inability – to leave a phrase uncoloured, to leave words unpointed, here feels like an inevitable part of a compelling whole…It might arguably be as much Bostridge’s Winter Journey as Schubert’s, yes, but I’m not sure there are many recordings of this ever-astonishing work that are more compelling.”

“If any audience is present here, they leave no audible sign. Maybe listeners were immobilised by wonder, struck dumb by the impact and wide range of Bostridge’s voice — beautiful, ugly, anguished, tender, robust, bleached...Right from the footstep tread launching the first song, Adès’s piano accompaniment never falters in its imaginative response to imagery and emotional mood...superb artistry brings its own joys.”    *****

Recording of the Week

“What fresh insights has Bostridge uncovered in the intervening years? Short answer: plenty. One of the remarkable things about this new reading is just how much of the extensive scholarly work which both he and Adès have undertaken translates readily into sound...the balance between pointing up the work’s strange modernity and engaging with its historical context is immaculately judged, and much of the beauty of the interpretation stems from the contrast between the two”