Schubert's Winterreise

8:00pm, 10 March 1998, Adelaide Town Hall
presented by Adelaide Festival 1998

ELISION joins Ensemble Modern in a second collaboration.

`A work such as the Winterreise is an icon of our musical tradition, one of Europe's great masterpieces.

`Is it enough to present it in the manner customary today--two men in tuxedos, a Steinway, and usually a very large concert hall? Many place a great deal of importance on the historical original. This `sacred´ original is often pursued nowadays on forte-pianos  . . .  short necked violins and wooden flutes. And although this is a good thing, we should not fall prey to the illusion that the presentation of performances with historically authentic instruments can of itself bring back the spirit of the times when the music was composed  . . . 

`Is it possible to break through the aesthetic expectations inherent in our reception of Classical music  . . .  and simply invigorate the initial impulse, the existential force of Schubert's original.´

This quotation from Hans ZENDER, composer and conductor, illustrates something of his intention evident in his composed interpretation of this major work by Franz Schubert.

Joining Ensemble Modern in the Australian premiere of this work are ELISION musicians Paula RAE flute, Stephen ROBINSON oboe, Geoffrey MORRIS guitar, Peter NEVILLE percussion, Vanessa TOMLINSON percussion, Mark KNOOP piano-accordian, Erkki VELTHEIM viola.