A Winter's Journey

There is perhaps no more apt way to spend a cold December night than in the company of Allan Clayton and Kate Golla, as Clayton sings Schubert’s cycle of heartache and melancholy, Winterreise. From the opening bars we know this is a journey that will end fatefully. Schubert’s mournful cycle is a self-portrait of his perception of the time it was written: disease was taking its toll on him, and his demise was growing ever closer. His sorrow is clear, but he nevertheless underlies Wilhelm Müller’s words with a tragic beauty.

Bringing his notorious characterisation to Winterreise is the superb Allan Clayton, fresh off the Royal Opera House stage in the title role of Peter Grimes in his ‘finest performance of his career to date’ (Guardian). And this won’t just be a feast for the ears either. Musica Viva Australia’s Artistic Director Paul Kildea has created a novel concept for Winterreise, pairing Schubert’s travelling tales with hand-picked images of 20th century Australian landscapist Fred Williams OBE’s paintings and prints.