"Winterreise in einer Januaracht" Franz Schubert meets jazz and baroque. Stefan Hunstein, recitation, Hugo Siegmeth, saxophone, Axel Wolf, lute
Stefan Hunstein, recitation, Hugo Siegmeth, saxophones, Axel Wolf, lute
"Winterreise on a January night"
Franz Schubert meets jazz and baroque
This "Winterreise" is different. No one sings here; the text is recited. And although the music allows Schubert's themes and motifs to flare up, it deals with them quite freely. And with completely different instruments! No piano, but various types of lute, plus tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone or bass clarinet. A rather exotic combination! And on the backdrop of one of the most important works of classical music. Is that any good?
Yes, it does, even a lot, if the result is like this one. The two musicians Hugo Siegmeth (wind instruments) and Axel Wolf (lute) as well as the actor and reciter Stefan Hunstein did not intend this to be a substitute or an alternative to Franz Schubert's magnificent songs about Wilhelm Müller's cycle of poems, but rather a homage to this profound work of art with its sometimes painfully beautiful music. The three performers follow the stages of this captivating journey into the "I" in their own way.
The "Winterreise" is about human existence, about redefining one's own position after a setback: a rejected, outcast reflects on his existence, surrounded by cold and darkness. Axel Wolf and Hugo Siegmeth have long been fascinated by this work. At some point, they decided that they would like to tell the story of "Winterreise" in their own musical language. The lutenist comes from early music, the saxophonist from jazz. But they have skillfully and with great sensitivity brought their musical worlds closer together.
