Page 115 - Winterreise Coverage Book, 2021 - 22

with most things in life, it all depends on how you’re feeling at the time: someone could present
you with the most fantastic steak, but if you’re in the mood for something green it isn’t going to
hit the spot! Even with Fischer-Dieskau, sometimes you’re completely blown away and
sometimes there’s an inner resistance.

Have there been any extra-musical sources of inspiration for you in terms of
how you think about Winterreise?

I remember going to Madrid and visiting the Prado, where there’s an entire room full of these
incredible black paintings by Goya, and I thought what an amazing experience it would be to
perform this cycle amongst them – somehow it resonates. Nature of course resonates, as do
certain situations in life: I’ve performed Die schöne Müllerin for people who’d never been to a
Western classical music concert, which was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

I was also so keen to make this project with the BBC happen during this past difficult period,
because some of the texts resonated very much with the isolation and being alone and asking
questions about life, relationships with other people and so on. I talked to a friend of mine who’s
a Schubert expert and also a professor of psychoanalysis; I asked him about the psychology
behind walking (which many of us did a lot more during the lockdowns), and he related that to
both Schubert and Freud. There are so many points you can connect.

How are you enjoying working with Alpha Classics, and what’s next on the
agenda in terms of recording plans?

It's so wonderful to be working with a label where everyone’s really interested in the music. And
Didier Martin at Alpha knows the repertoire inside-out: he has opinions on it, he comes to
concerts, and he’s always available for his artists. I also love Alpha’s beautiful artwork, and being
able to plan ahead for the next five or six years is something I’ve never experienced anywhere
else.

There will be seven albums, and the next one will be a concept-album called Forbidden Fruit,
featuring music ranging from early Renaissance songs to Marlene Dietrich, Cole Porter and Jake
Heggie - all sorts! And there will be one very famous song which has never previously been
performed by a man… The idea is to explore all kinds of seduction in humanity - not only the
sensual and erotic, but many other layers and taboos. It’s in order of the Genesis story, so there
will be lines from Genesis sometimes spoken over the music and sometimes between the
songs…Purists might not like it, but the whole point is that ‘forbidden fruit’ is something which
you’re normally not allowed!

Then there will be an album of György Kurtág, who’s someone I’ve worked with for many years
now, featuring some of his music and songs by Schubert and Brahms which he and I chose
together. The nice thing is that I can plan ahead!