Page 126 - Winterreise Coverage Book, 2021 - 22

16 March 2022

Benjamin Appl and the Winter Journey

by Pierre Jean Tribot

Baritone Benjamin Appl
publishes with Alpha a
recording
of Franz Schubert's cycle Le
Voyage d'Hiver
(Winterreise) with
pianist James Baillieu. Such
a publication is always an
event in the career of an
artist as this cycle is a pillar
of the repertoire. Crescendo
Magazine offers you a rich
exchange with this brilliant
musician, one of the most
talented of his generation.

The Winterreise is a monument to the history of music. Is it intimidating for a singer to
record it?

Yes, absolutely! There are thousands of records and some of them are absolute references. These
recordings are points of comparison, for singers of course, but also for music lovers and professionals
who logically use them as standards to evaluate new interpretations. But on the other hand,
interpretive art is a living cultural form and, therefore, it will always take new directions. When I work
with students, I always encourage them not only to look at tradition, but also to think about what
they can add and develop in music that has been so present for decades and centuries. If we don't,
we can simply store these wonderful recordings from the past in museums and storefronts.
The Winterreise is particularly interesting, because it is a real trip. The singer and pianist have to
make decisions every second, for every note. You can choose to go down a path here, or go up
there. The Winterreise can have many different, personal routes, and the itinerary of each can vary
each day. This is the most rewarding part of this cycle and arguably one of the reasons why huge
artists like Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and others have chosen to record it over and over again.