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Winterreise: A Winter Journey in Poetry, Image, and Song
Winterreise is perhaps the greatest song cycle ever written. Franz Schubert set to music the evocative poetry of his contemporary, German lyricist Wilhelm Müller. It is a heart-rending portrayal of a winter journey full of misery and woe.
This striking and unique multimedia volume brings together the achievements of Schubert and Müller with new interpretations by present-day musicians, scholars, and a photographer. The volume includes:
o the complete German text of Wilhelm Müller’s twenty-four poems
o a new English translation of the poems by Louise McClelland Urban
o a foreword by Pulitzer Prize–winning American composer John Harbison
o an introductory essay by renowned Schubert scholar Susan Youens
o ninety-two stunning black and white photographs of a winter’s journey by Katrin Talbot
o a compact-disc recording of the Winterreise song cycle performed by baritone Paul Rowe and pianist Martha Fischer.
This striking and unique multimedia volume brings together the achievements of Schubert and Müller with new interpretations by present-day musicians, scholars, and a photographer. The volume includes:
o the complete German text of Wilhelm Müller’s twenty-four poems
o a new English translation of the poems by Louise McClelland Urban
o a foreword by Pulitzer Prize–winning American composer John Harbison
o an introductory essay by renowned Schubert scholar Susan Youens
o ninety-two stunning black and white photographs of a winter’s journey by Katrin Talbot
o a compact-disc recording of the Winterreise song cycle performed by baritone Paul Rowe and pianist Martha Fischer.
- GenresMusic
256 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1985
1 person is currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Franz Schubert
3,244 books21 followersFranz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras.
Although he died at the age of 31, Schubert was a prolific composer, having written some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies (including the famous "Unfinished Symphony"), liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music.
Appreciation of Schubert's music during his lifetime was limited, but interest in his work increased significantly in the decades following his death. Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn, among others, discovered and championed his works in the 19th century.
Today, Schubert is seen as one of the leading exponents of the early Romantic era in music and he remains one of the most frequently performed composers.
Although he died at the age of 31, Schubert was a prolific composer, having written some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies (including the famous "Unfinished Symphony"), liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music.
Appreciation of Schubert's music during his lifetime was limited, but interest in his work increased significantly in the decades following his death. Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Felix Mendelssohn, among others, discovered and championed his works in the 19th century.
Today, Schubert is seen as one of the leading exponents of the early Romantic era in music and he remains one of the most frequently performed composers.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 7, 2025
This translation of Müller's song cycle is unmoving, but the forward & introductory essay were both great!
Read this to supplement my experience of Jeff Vandermeer's Absolution. Whichever translation Vandermeer used was superior to the one here.
Read this to supplement my experience of Jeff Vandermeer's Absolution. Whichever translation Vandermeer used was superior to the one here.
January 17, 2015
BBC Book of the Week
Award-winning tenor Ian Bostridge explores Franz Schubert's enigmatic masterpiece Winterreise, or Winter's Journey. Composed in 1827, this powerful song-cycle for voice and piano uses twenty-four poems by Wilhem Muller and is considered one of classical music's most powerful compositions.
Drawing upon his experience as a performer (he has performed Winterreise more than a hundred times), on his musical knowledge and on his training as a scholar, Bostridge unpicks the enigmas and subtle meanings behind the songs to explore the world Schubert inhabited.
Ian Bostridge is recognised as one of the greatest Lieder interpreters today. He has made numerous award-winning recordings of opera and song, and gives recitals throughout Europe, North America and the Far East. He was the original Caliban in Thomas Ades's The Tempest, and played Aschenbach in the landmark 2007 production of Britten's Death in Venice at ENO. He will be Humanitas Professor of Classical Music at the University of Oxford in 2014-15.
Read by Ian Bostridge
Written by Ian Bostridge
Abridged by Laurence Wareing
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
Award-winning tenor Ian Bostridge explores Franz Schubert's enigmatic masterpiece Winterreise, or Winter's Journey. Composed in 1827, this powerful song-cycle for voice and piano uses twenty-four poems by Wilhem Muller and is considered one of classical music's most powerful compositions.
Drawing upon his experience as a performer (he has performed Winterreise more than a hundred times), on his musical knowledge and on his training as a scholar, Bostridge unpicks the enigmas and subtle meanings behind the songs to explore the world Schubert inhabited.
Ian Bostridge is recognised as one of the greatest Lieder interpreters today. He has made numerous award-winning recordings of opera and song, and gives recitals throughout Europe, North America and the Far East. He was the original Caliban in Thomas Ades's The Tempest, and played Aschenbach in the landmark 2007 production of Britten's Death in Venice at ENO. He will be Humanitas Professor of Classical Music at the University of Oxford in 2014-15.
Read by Ian Bostridge
Written by Ian Bostridge
Abridged by Laurence Wareing
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews