The 24 songs of this, perhaps the most celebrated song cycle in the repertoire, are predominantly set in minor keys. They draw us into a tormented soul, where moments of respite through soft major chords are rare. While the songs lack a continuous narrative, and Schubert himself organised them like a collection of sweets based on Wilhelm Müller’s text, the cycle nonetheless unfolds with a clear dramatic arc.

The singer recounts his fate: betrayed in love, he sets out on a solitary journey through snow and ice. This physical trek soon transforms into a psychological odyssey, with the landscape mirroring his hallucinatory states of disillusionment, despair, and an ever-present pull toward death. Light rarely pierces the darkness, though glimpses appear, as in the poignant "Der Lindenbaum," where he fondly recalls the infatuations of his youth. Yet, it is the frozen soul that pervades these hauntingly beautiful and achingly sorrowful songs.

André Schuen, a baritone trained at the renowned Mozarteum in Salzburg, stands among the elite of lyrical baritones, delivering Winterreise with flawless artistry and a voice of striking beauty and ease. Paired with Daniel Heide – one of the world’s most virtuosic and sensitive accompanists – Schuen finds the perfect partner to bring Schubert’s desolate winter wanderer to life, even on a sun-kissed summer day.