Search - Thomas Oliemans, Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Bert Van Den Brink :: Schubert: Winterreise

Schubert's cycle of twenty-four songs, Winterreise, is a powerfully eloquent, heartrending diary of the winter journey of a rejected lover, whose unquenchable pain leads him to quiet madness and a longing for death. The piano accompaniment is often vividly wrenching, suggesting falling leaves, growling dogs rattling their chains, or the ominous beating of the wings of a crow, yet Schubert's pure harmonies keep the music well away from the edge of melodramatic hysteria. Born in Amsterdam in 1977, baritone Thomas Oliemans studied with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, among others. He is by now an experienced, prize-winning concert artist who recently recorded a successful CD of songs by Poulenc and Fauré. Pianist Bert van den Brink (b. 1958) is an accomplished artist in both classical music and jazz.