Franz Schubert’s Winterreise (Winter Journey), a cycle of 24 songs for voice and piano set to poems by Wilhelm Müller, was created in the autumn of 1827, a year before Schubert’s death. The cycle is not only considered a pinnacle in Schubert’s songwriting but also the summit of the German art song in general. In 24 snapshots, Schubert kaleidoscopically unfolds the mood of a lost, wounded, and lonely character. Few works of art have so profoundly expressed the existential and torn nature of human existence.

The German composer Hans Zender adapted the cycle under the title: Schubert’s «Winterreise». A Composed Interpretation. Zender’s version for tenor and small orchestra, premiered in Frankfurt in 1993, is much more than a simple orchestration. Just as sensitively as radically, it reveals the disturbing potential of the cycle and approaches Wilhelm Müller’s poems once again in its own way. Zender delves into the darkest regions of human existence. With his interpretation, he brings forth emotions that pulsate beneath the surface in Schubert’s work and uncovers the eerie layers in the depth of the music.

Similar to Hans Zender, Christian Spuck’s staging is less about illustrating the external stations of the traveler and more about engaging in an extensive abstraction with the cycle. In a blend of large ensemble scenes and a variety of intimate solo images, Christian Spuck embarks on a journey into the innermost depths of human nature, exploring timeless themes such as love, longing, alienation, and abandonment.

Winterreise was premiered by the Zurich Ballet in October 2018 and awarded the prestigious «Prix Benois de la Danse» in 2019. Christian Spuck will be creating a new Berlin version of his choreography with the Staatsballett Berlin.

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