Page 64 - Winterreise Coverage Book, 2021 - 22

Colin’s Column

24 November 2021

Benjamin Appl and Schubert’s Winterreise

Winter Journey , BBC TV, December 2021 – date TBC

Winterreise on Alpha Classics released 11 February 2022

Benjamin Appl and James Baillieu in recital at Wigmore Hall on 18 February 2022

Franz Schubert’s masterpiece, his song cycle Winterreise (‘Winter Journey’), was written
shortly before his death in 1828, at the age of only 31. On his winter journey, the singer
wanders as a lost soul in harsh terrain, wracked with conflicting emotions, but consoled by
his memories of kinder times – a vivid reminder of the emotional anguish that can touch
every generation, whether from personal rejection, or from exile enforced by political,
cultural or military pressures.

Benjamin Appl first encountered Winterreise as a singer – not a listener – when asked to
perform it at short notice and has been hooked ever since. This winter sees the release of
a John Bridcut film for BBC TV entitled Winter Journey (December 2021, date TBC), a new
recording on Alpha Classics (released 11 February 2022) and a live performance
at Wigmore Hall (18 February 2022) – all with pianist James Baillieu.