Liederabend Joyce DiDonato

Joyce DiDonato opens the festive season with Franz Schubert's fascinating yet oppressive song cycle Winterreise in the Staatsoper's Großer Saal. Accompanied by pianist and conductor Maxim Emelyanychev on a period piano, the mezzo-soprano's interpretation opens up a different perspective on Schubert's famous 24 songs, as she herself describes: ‘Who was this girl, who is barely mentioned but who seems to be the catalyst for the beginning of this timeless journey, and what happened to her? What journey did she embark on after the man she loved left her in the middle of the night? I could easily imagine a world where he sends her his diary in the post, and as she reads his entries, her journey takes its own course. A journey that confronts her with her own anger, perhaps her loss and yes, her love too, each of these feelings being directly linked to his words. With this new perspective on the songs we know and love, I can feel their presence bringing to life the journey of all those people left behind,’ says Joyce DiDonato.