29.01.2022

FLORIAN BOESCH - staged "Winterreise" at the Theater an der Wien

In the broad repertoire of bass-baritone Florian Boesch, the Lied occupies a special place; it is his personal passion. Together with the pianist Malcolm Martineau and the director Ingo Kerkhof, he is staging Schubert's Winterreise at the Theater an der Wien.

With extraordinary expressivity and narrative forcefulness, Boesch aimes for an individual realisation of the famous Schubert cycle. When asked how he deals with such a huge work as Winterreise, Florian Boesch says: "Winterreise is like the Himalayas because of its high quality - it is simply magnificent. It needs real art and not only beautiful singing: The Winterreise is not a challenge in terms of singing, but in terms of interpretation. In fact, honesty is the only thing necessary for its interpretation. A vain, a "made-up" Winterreise is a pose, something that is not authentic."

Reviewers so far have unanimously praised Florian Boesch’s extraordinary interpretation of Schubert songs:

„Never one to rest on laurels, Boesch constantly strove for new subtleties of meaning and expression“
(Tim Ashley, The Guardian)

“Boesch is a consummate narrator, able to draw you in without mannerisms and with gazes and gestures that hit just the right balance of intimacy and drama” (Neil Fisher, The Times)

“(…) Boesch doesn’t just sing this music, he inhabits it to the hilt. His voice has a thrilling edge, and he colours his lines with delicate artistry, yet his approach is as natural as conversation, never going for effects for their own sake, or inflating the importance of trifles which some of these songs indubitably are.“ (Michael Church, Independent)