Franz Schubert - Winterreise, Op. 89 (1827)

Franz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast oeuvre, including 600 secular vocal works (mainly Lieder), seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large body of piano and chamber music. The Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 (Trout Quintet), the Symphony No. 8, D. 759 (Unfinished Symphony), the three last piano sonatas, D. 958-960, and his song cycles Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise are some of his most important works.

Please support my channel:

Uploaded with special permission by Producer/Editor Peter Watchorn

Winterreise, D. 911, Op. 89 (autumn 1827)
Librettist: Wilhelm Müller (1794–1827)
I used the original High Voice version so the original key relationships are visible. The other key (Medium, Low, Very Low) editions are not consistent with key relationships within the cycle.
Max van Egmond used the Low Voice version for this recording.

1. Gute Nacht (Mässig) (0:00)
2. Die Wetterfahne (Ziemlich geschwind) (5:26)
3. Gefrorne Tränen (Nicht zu langsam) (7:05)
4. Erstarrung (Ziemlich schnell) (9:51)
5. Der Lindenbaum (Mässig) (12:27)
6. Wasserflut (Langsam) (16:38)
7. Auf dem Flusse (Langsam) (20:19)
8. Rückblick (Nicht zu geschwind) (23:51)
9. Irrlicht (Langsam) (25:59)
10. Rast (Mässig) (28:36)
11. Frühlingstraum (Etwas bewegt) (32:21)
12. Einsamkeit (Langsam) (36:05)
13. Die Post (Etwas geschwind) (38:37)
14. Der greise Kopf (Etwas langsam) (41:11)
15. Die Krähe (Etwas langsam) (43:54)
16. Letzte Hoffnung (Nicht zu geschwind) (45:54)
17. Im Dorfe (Etwas langsam) (48:06)
18. Der stürmische Morgen (Ziemlich geschwind, doch kräftig) (51:49)
19. Täuschung (Etwas geschwind) (52:41)
20. Der Wegweiser (Mässig) (54:09)
21. Das Wirtshaus (Sehr langsam) (58:21)
22. Mut (Ziemlich geschwind, kräftig) (1:01:54)
23. Die Nebensonnen (Nicht zu langsam) (1:03:22)
24. Der Leiermann (Etwas langsam) (1:05:32)

Max van Egmond, baritone & Penelope Crawford, Graf fortepiano, 1835

In his 1858 reminiscences, Schubert’s friend Joseph von Spaun describes the first time that he and others in the Schubert circle first heard Winterreise: For some time Schubert appeared very upset and melancholy. When I asked him what was troubling him, he would say only, “Soon you will hear and understand.” One day he said to me, “Come over to [Franz von] Schober’s today, and I will sing you a cycle of horrifying [schauerlicher] songs. I am anxious to know what you will say about them. They have cost me more effort than any of my other songs.” So he sang the entire Winterreise through to us in a voice full of emotion. We were utterly dumbfounded by the mournful, gloomy tone of these songs, and Schober said that only one, “Der Lindenbaum,” had appealed to him. To this Schubert replied, “I like these songs more than all the rest, and you will come to like them as well.”
The composer’s prophecy came true: people have long recognized in this cycle of twenty-four songs one of the nineteenth century’s most profound masterpieces. It is a matter for awe when one realizes that Schubert was only thirty years old when he set these words to music and that he was confronting his own possible fate as he did so. We know nothing about the circumstances in which this composer contracted syphilis, probably in late 1822, but he would have known that a syphilitic’s death was often preceded by paralysis and insanity, the winter wanderer’s fate thus a foreshadowing of what might become of him. The scant biographical record hints that Schubert knew in his bones every atom of the poetic persona’s despair in Winterreise; in a letter of 31 March 1824 to his friend Leopold Kupelwieser, he wrote:
I magine a man whose health will never be right again, and who in sheer despair over this makes things worse and worse instead of better; imagine a man, I say, whose most brilliant hopes have perished, to whom the felicity of love and friendship have nothing to offer but pain at best, whom enthusiasm . . . for all things beautiful threatens to forsake, and I ask you, is he not a miserable, unhappy being?---“My peace is gone, my heart is heavy, I shall find it never and nevermore” [lines from Goethe’s Faust, Part I, which Schubert had set to music in 1814 as “Gretchen am Spinnrade,” D. 118], I may well sing every day now, for each night, on retiring to bed, I hope I may not wake again, and each morning but recalls yesterday'’ grief.
That he could clothe despair of such magnitude in music such as this was a Herculean feat. It would not have been possible without Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827), the young Prussian poet who died on the night of 30 September 1827, perhaps just as Schubert was completing his compositional labors on his second song cycle to Müller’s words (Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795, was the first).

[Rockingbart]

Just when I was going to say something to those "too sensitive for my ears" people, I noticed you deleted the comments. Good idea. No use for self promoters here.

[jeff]

Until now, and based on other versions of Winterreise I’ve listened to, I hadn’t cared very much for it. But this version is a game changer for me. Very touchingly and beautifully done.

[francispoulenc]

"Gute Nacht" ("Good Night"): "A stranger I arrived; a stranger I depart." In May, he won the love of a girl and hoped to marry her. But now his world is bleak, and he must leave, in winter, in the dead of night, finding his own way in the trackless snow. "Love loves to wander—from one person to the next." He writes "Good Night" on her gate as he passes to show he thought of her.

}
4:09
"Gute Nacht" (All by Hans Duhan, 1928)
"Die Wetterfahne" ("The Weathervane"): The weathervane on her house creaks in the shifting winds, mocking him and showing the inconstant hearts inside. "What do they care about my suffering? Their child is a wealthy bride!"

}
2:22
"Die Wetterfahne"
"Gefror'ne Tränen" ("Frozen Tears"): He notices he has been crying and chides his tears for being only lukewarm so that they freeze. They come out of his heart hot enough to melt all the winter's ice!

}
2:23
"Gefror'ne Tränen"
"Erstarrung" ("Frozen"): He looks in vain for her footprints beneath the snow where she once walked with him through the green meadow; he wants to melt away the snow and ice with his tears. He has nothing to remember her by except his pain. She is frozen in his heart; if it thaws, her image will flow away.

}
3:19
"Erstarrung"
"Der Lindenbaum" ("The Linden Tree"): The tree, a reminder of happier days, seems to call to him as he passes by in the depth of night, promising rest. But he turns away, into the cold wind. And now, miles away, he still hears it calling him: "Here you would find peace."

}
4:16
"Der Lindenbaum"
"Wasserflut" ("Flood"): The cold snow thirstily sucks up his tears; when the warm winds blow, the snow and ice will melt, and the brook will carry them through the town to where his sweetheart lives.

4:02
"Wasserflut"
"Auf dem Flusse" ("On the Stream"): The gaily rushing stream lies silent under a hard crust. In the ice, he carves a memorial to their love. The river is an image of his heart swelling up powerfully beneath the frozen surface.


4:13
"Auf dem Flusse"
"Rückblick" ("Backwards Glance"): He recounts his headlong flight from the town and recalls his springtime arrival in the "city of inconstancy, " and two girlish eyes which captivated him. When he thinks of that time, he would like to go back and stand silently in front of her house.


}
2:53
"Rückblick"
"Irrlicht" ("Will o' the Wisp"): The false light of the will-o'-the-wisp has led him astray, but he is used to that. Every path leads to the same goal. Our joys and sorrows are but a trick of the light. Every stream reaches the sea, every sorrow its grave.

}
2:47
"Irrlicht"
"Rast" ("Rest"): Only now that he has stopped to rest does he realize how tired and sore he is. And in the quiet he feels for the first time the "worm" which stings him inwardly.

}
3:20
"Rast"
"Frühlingstraum" ("Dream of Spring"): He dreams of springtime and love, but wakes to cold and darkness and the shrieking of ravens. He sees frost leaves painted on the window. When will they turn green? When will he again embrace his beloved?

}
4:20
"Frühlingstraum"
"Einsamkeit" ("Loneliness"): He wanders, like a sad and lonely cloud, through the bright and happy Life around him. "Even when the storms were raging. I was not so miserable."

}
3:06
"Einsamkeit"
"Die Post" ("The Post"): He hears a post horn. "Why does my heart leap up so? There's no letter for you! But maybe there's some news of her?"


}
2:43
"Die Post"
"Der greise Kopf" ("The Gray Head"): Frost has turned his hair gray and he rejoices at being an old man. But when it thaws, he is horrified to be a youth again: "How far it is still to the grave."


}
3:02
"Der greise Kopf"
"Die Krähe" ("The Crow"): A crow has been following him. It has never left him, expecting to take his body as its prey. "It won't be much longer now. Crow, show me constancy unto death!"


2:48
"Die Krähe"
"Letzte Hoffnung" ("Last Hope"): He gambles on a leaf quivering in the wind. If it falls from the tree, all his hopes are dashed. He falls to the ground himself and weeps over the "grave" of his hopes.

}
3:15
"Letzte Hoffnung"
"Im Dorfe" ("In the Village"): Dogs bark, and all the people are asleep, dreaming of success and failure, finding on their pillows what eluded them in life. "I am done with all dreaming. Why should I linger among the sleepers?"

}
3:35
"Im Dorfe"
"Der stürmische Morgen" ("The Stormy Morning"): The storm is an image of his heart, wild and cold like the winter.

}
1:05
"Der stürmische Morgen"
"Täuschung" ("Deception"): A dancing light wants to lead him astray, and he is glad to go along. "Behind ice and night and horror" it shows him a warm, bright house and a loving wife within. Illusion is all he has to go on.

1:45
"Täuschung"
"Der Wegweiser" ("The Signpost"): "Why do I take secret ways and avoid the other travelers? I've committed no crime. What foolish desire drives me to seek the wastelands?" He journeys endlessly, seeking peace and finding none. A signpost points the way: "I must travel a road where no one has ever yet returned."

}
4:11
"Der Wegweiser"
"Das Wirtshaus" ("The Inn"): He comes to a graveyard and wants to enter. But all the rooms in this "inn" are taken; he resolves to go on his way with his faithful walking-stick.

}
3:44
"Das Wirtshaus"
"Mut!" ("Have Courage!"): He shakes the snow from his face and sings cheerfully to silence his heart's stirrings, striding into the world, against wind and weather: "If there's no God on earth, then we ourselves are gods!"

}
1:54
"Mut!"
"Die Nebensonnen" ("The Sun Dogs"): He sees three suns staring at him in the sky. "You are not my suns! Once I too had three, but the best two have now set. If only the third would follow, I'll be happier in the darkness."

2:58
"Die Nebensonnen"
"Der Leiermann" ("The Hurdy-Gurdy Man"): Back of the village stands a hurdy-gurdy man, cranking his instrument with frozen fingers. His begging bowl is always empty; no one listens, and the dogs growl at him. But his playing never stops. "Strange old man. Shall I come with you? Will you play your hurdy-gurdy to accompany my songs?"

}

[Platonovaanastasiia]

1. Gute Nacht/ Спокойно спи 0:01
5. Der Lindenbaum/ Липа 12:28
7. Auf dem Flusse/У ручья 20:27
11. Fruhlingstraum/ Весенний сон 32:25
14. Der greise/ Седины 41:16
15.Die Krahe/ Ворон 43:56
20. Der Wegweister/Путевой столб 54:12
24. Der Leiermann/ Шарманщик 1:05:33
5

[bassmanxan]

This is awesome. I'd never listened to this cycle before and now i have so many more ideas for future recitals

[findelka]

This is probably the best rendition I’ve ever heard incl. the old, classic ones! The fortepiano sound cannot be beaten and both musicians are extremely sensitive.
Thank you! 🙏

[fredericchopin]

Der Leiermann never fails to bring me to tears. Among one Schubert’s most tragic and haunting works, one can sense the composer’s hopelessness towards the end of his life.

[mmbmbmbmb]

I don't think any other rendition has ever captivated me more.
So ergreifend . . . und ueberzeugend. Thank you for this gem.

[musicbetweenlines]

This is one of the greatest song cycles of Schubert (Lieder) ever composed! One can clearly hear the sadness that outpours from this poem and Schubert sets this song cycle beautifully! As someone who studied German for a year while in high school, I can hear through the vivid words the dwindling spirit of the person through all 24 songs. As a composer of classical music, I often use this song cycle for inspiration. The music always leaves me in tears every single time I listen to it! Danke schön (Thank you)!

[mduftube]

That Graf is amazing! The pianissimos are absolutely spine-tingling

[pianoman]

this is so intimate, i feel like i'm sat along with someone telling me a story

[_PROCLUS]

Max van Egmond b. 1936 ... is known for singing works of Johann Sebastian Bach. He was one of the pioneers of historically informed performance of Baroque and Renaissance music ... has performed and recorded Lieder of Schubert, Schumann and Fauré, among others, accompanied on period instruments. Schubert's Winterreise was accompanied by Penelope Crawford on a fortepiano of Conrad Graf, built in 1835

He was a teacher at the Sweelinck Conservatory Amsterdam from 1980 until 1995 ...

[artisticnerd]

Im 3 minutes in and im already crying "gute nacht" indeed ❤❤

[notaire]

Wunderschöne und detaillierte Interpretation dieser romantischen und perfekt komponierten Lieder in verschiedenen Tempi mit relativ tiefer Stimme der unvergleichlichen Baritons und klarem doch warmherzigem Klang des genialen Fortepianos. Einfach wundervoll!

[_PROCLUS]

💝💝💝 Thank you so very much for the most wonderful upload ... and for the extensive and educational intro note ... TY 🌹

[evtushenkoT]

0:06 спокойно спи
12:28 липа
20:27 у ручья
32:21 весенний сон
41:12 седины
43:54 ворон
54:10 путевой столб
1:05:33 шарманщик

[tto]

For the Caretaker fans:
20:19 Everything is on the point of decline/Everything is on the point of decline (again)/Approaching the outer limits of our solar system
22:01 As if one were sinking into sand
22:07 So run down

32:21 When the dog days were drawing to an end/Sebald
58:21 A last glimpse of the land being lost forever
54:09 Isolated lights on the abyss of ignorance/Isolated lights (again)
55:43 The homesickness that was corroding her soul
1:05:32 I have become almost invisible/In the deep and dark hours of the night/Of grace and providence/A golden pheasant on a black ground
1:05:47 The quilter standard
(I don't know what part is No one knows what shadowy memories haunt them)
12:27 Increasingly absorbed in his own world/After the earth itself has ground down
16:38 Now the night is over/But the stars had come out

[ladnoff]

1. Спокойно спи (Gute Nacht) 0:07
5. Липа (Der Lindenbaum) 12:27
11. Весенний сон (Frühlingstraum) 32:21
24. Шарманщик Der Leiermann) 1:05:32

[Peacefuls]

3:56 It looks like really snowing! Very light touch…

[ronaldo_ofalia]

Thank you for this upload. The score is in D minor, but the rendition I think is in Bb minor. Thank you. I am a baritone---thus I can sing along with this video. All the best.