Page 128 - Winterreise Coverage Book, 2021 - 22

Yes, certainly over time, even if my next albums will go in another direction. One of the main reasons
I signed with the wonderful Alpha Classics label is that they immediately understood my interest in
different projects and collaborations. It's a very inspiring collaboration.

Your repertoire is very wide and you do not neglect the contemporary repertoire. Is this
wide range of music and styles a deliberate choice or the result of chance and career
opportunities?

There are so many ideas in my brain that I sometimes have to hold back a little! Unfortunately, we
can often be limited in our way of thinking, especially when it comes to types or "fach" of voices: we
often want to put people in boxes. But I am fortunate to be able to choose projects and repertoires
that I like and interest me. Today, our concert halls and orchestras have the privilege of being able to
program the greatest classical music in human history, but this has not always been the case.
Historical performances on stage were once a platform for "then" music, with compositions written in
the past only being played on rare occasions. I think we should never forget that and feel duly
inspired by contemporary music, and give it its space...

Benjamin Appl's website: www.benjaminappl.de

To listen to:

Franz Schubert : Winterreise. Benjamin Appl, baritone; James Baillieu, piano. Alpha ALPHA854

Interview by Pierre-Jean Tribot

Photo credits: David Ruano