Music at Maryville Spring 2024 Concert 1

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Winterreise (Winter Journey)

Sunday, February 4, 2024 • 3:00 p.m. Maryville University Auditorium • Directions

Free Admission

The concert will not be live-streamed, and no recording will be available, so please consider enjoying this performance in person. Feel free to share this information with anyone you know who may be interested.

Artists

Jeffrey Heyl, bass-baritone

Ann Choomack, flute

Peter Henderson, piano

Musical Program

Franz Schubert: Introduction and Variations on “Trockne Blumen” (“Withered Flowers”) for Flute and Piano, D. 802 (1824) — ca. 15 minutes

Franz Schubert (1797-1828): Winterreise (Winter Journey), Song Cycle for Voice and Piano, D. 911 (1827) — Texts: Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827) — ca. 70 minutes

1. Gute Nacht (Good Night)
2. Die Wetterfahne (The Weathervane)
3. Gefrorene Tränen (Frozen Tears)
4. Erstarrung (Numbness)
5. Der Lindenbaum (The Linden Tree)
6. Wasserflut (Flood Water)
7. Auf dem Flusse (On the River)
8. Rückblick (A Look Backward)
9. Irrlicht (Will o’ the Wisp)
10. Rast (Rest)
11. Frühlingstraum (Dream of Spring)
12. Einsamkeit (Solitude)
13. Die Post (The Mail)
14. Der greise Kopf (The Old Man’s Head)
15. Die Krähe (The Crow)
16. Letzte Hoffnung (Last Hope)
17. Im Dorfe (In the Village)
18. Der stürmische Morgen (The Stormy Morning)
19. Täuschung (Illusion)
20. Der Wegweiser (The Signpost)
21. Das Wirtshaus (The Inn)
22. Mut (Courage)
23. Die Nebensonnen (The False Suns)
24. Der Leiermann (The Hurdy-Gurdy Man)

Brief Program Note

This concert will celebrate the art of Franz Schubert (1797-1828). While Schubert did not tend toward overt virtuosity in his instrumental works, his variations for flute and piano on his own, previously composed song Trockne Blumen (Withered Flowers) are a brilliant showcase for the skills of the instrumentalists. The concert will conclude with Schubert’s final completed art song cycle, Winterreise (Winter Journey). A song cycle is the classical music equivalent of a concept album, in which each song is integral to a larger idea. The generally bitter songs of Winterreise explore a common Romantic theme: a young person’s despair upon being rejected by a lover. It is widely accepted that, by the end of the journey, the protagonist has descended into madness. As is typical in Schubert’s songs, the piano’s texture is varied to match visual or other cues in each song’s text, creating an astoundingly varied tapestry. Schubert’s Winterreise is considered one of the pinnacles of the art song tradition.