Album insights
Joseph von Spaun's memoirs, a close friend of Schubert, suggest the composer was melancholic at the start of 1827. Feeling questioned about his troubles, Schubert cryptically replied, "Well, you will soon hear and understand." On March 4th, he planned to perform a series of eerie songs before friends at the wealthy Franz von Schober's gathering. Although he never made it that evening due to dejection and distraction, the promised event eventually took place in the spring or summer, with Schubert singing the entirety of "Winterreise" in a deeply emotional manner, leaving his friends bewildered by the somber mood of the songs. Spaun recounts their reactions, highlighting Schober's sole appreciation for "Der Lindenbaum," the cycle's only melodious piece in the series. Schubert was fully aware of the unique nature of his creation, expressing his own preference for the songs and predicting his friends' eventual admiration.
Months later, in autumn 1827, Schubert encountered Wilhelm Müller's complete "Winterreise," with 12 additional poems, long after the initial 12 songs were already in print. Incorporating the new poems into the existing cycle, Schubert restructured the sequence. While some songs would have naturally fit in better with Müller's order, Schubert ingeniously arranged them to strike a contrast, such as placing "Die Post" as a refreshing break amidst the darkening landscape of the cycle. The cycle's conclusion, featuring "Die Nebensonnen" and "Der Leiermann," encapsulates the tortured conclusion devoid of any hint of resilience.
Before "Winterreise," Schubert had composed individual songs brimming with pathos and despair. However, this cycle marked a shift with its bleak compositional style and godless pessimism, exploring a psyche teetering between delusion, ironic self-awareness, and nihilistic anguish. The musical symbolism in "Winterreise" shifts from Schubert's previous Müller cycle, "Die schöne Müllerin," from luminous and turbulent to a portrayal of desolation, mental unrest, and eerie silence. The protagonist transitions from a trusting youth to a cursed individual, isolated from human connections, mirroring the distraught figures in art by Caspar David Friedrich.
Additionally, the recurring existential absurdity and bleak themes in "Winterreise" hint at Samuel Beckett's world, striking a chord with the Irish playwright and composer Benjamin Britten for its profundity and spiritual contrast to Bach's Mass in B Minor.
Symbolism plays a crucial role throughout the cycle, with tonal shifts reflecting the protagonist's inner turmoil—a musical interplay of joy and sorrow. Each piece in the cycle meticulously depicts various emotional states and scenes, crafting a deeply immersive journey for both the listeners and the performer.