4/15 Schubert on the Bluff, Year 3: Concert XIII: Winter Journey @ Mary Pappert School of Music

SUNDAY…

2:30 p.m. Pre-concert

David Allen Wehr plays Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque and L’isle joyeuse

3:00 p.m. Concert

A co-presentation with Pittsburgh Song Collaborative, Benjamin Binder, Artistic Director

Schubert was most famous during his lifetime for his over 600 songs, some of which were grouped into cycles. Perhaps the most important of these is the death-haunted “Winterreise”, a journey into winter’s darkness many music lovers consider Schubert’s finest achievement in song. Vocal expert Benjamin Binder is joined by acclaimed baritone Daniel Teadt. Winter is coming!

With its themes of alienation, exile, obsession, and lost love, Winterreise speaks to our current social and political moment in moving and startling ways. In addition to a complete, uninterrupted performance of the entire cycle, six Pittsburgh poets (Jen Ashburn, Sheila Carter-Jones, Lori Jakiela, Adriana E. Ramirez, Sheila Squillante, and Don Wentworth) will give readings of new work responding to the songs.

3/29 Winter’s Journey in Poetry and Song: Part 2 @ Brillobox

8PM THURSDAY…

With its themes of alienation, exile, obsession, and lost love, Franz Schubert’s great 19th-century song cycle Winterreise (Winter’s Journey) speaks to our current social and political moment in moving and startling ways. Tonight we present Part Two of our project, “Winter’s Journey in Poetry and Song.” Another group of three Pittsburgh poets (Sheila Squillante, Jen Ashburn, Don Wentworth) will give readings of new work responding to the final twelve songs of the cycle, along with live performances of the corresponding songs by baritone Daniel Teadt and pianist Benjamin Binder.

For more info, see the Brillobox events page at http://www.brilloboxpgh.com/events/event/winters-journey-poetry-song/. Admission is free!

Here is Duquesne’s page about the event & some more details from Don Wentworth:

This Thurday, March 29th, at 8pm, Jen Ashburn, Sheila Squillante, and I will be reading 4 poems each in response to the final 12 lieder of Franz Schubert’s famed song cycle, Winterreise. After each poem by the 3 poets, the corresponding song in the sequence will be performed by Benjamin Binder, piano, and Daniel Teadt, baritone.

 

I’ve specially composed 4 poetry sequences, comprised of 4 haiku each, in response to the last 4 poems in Schubert’s cycle. In addition, I will read a Coda to the entire sequence, composed of a single haiku.

BG on the song cycle here, English translations by William Mann here. To motivate you to come out, all wind & weather notwithstanding, here’s No. 22:

When the snow flies in my face,
I brush it away;
when my heart exclaims in my breast,
I sing bright and cheery.

Don’t hear what it tells me,
have no ears for that,
don’t feel its complaining—
complaining is for fools.

Merrily off into the world,
spite all wind and weather!
If we can’t have gods on earth,
we are gods ourselves.