Schubert: Winterreise D911 - SACD

World-famous tenor Christoph Prégardien continues his series of recordings for Challenge Classics of Schubert song-cycles, with what many consider to be the composer’s greatest work in the genre “Winterreise”. As with the previous critically acclaimed release of “Die Schone Mullerin” the pianist on this hybrid SACD is Michael Gees.

Christoph Prégardien has made almost 200 recordings for all the major labels, amongst which are several for Challenge Classics. These include recordings released in 2008 of Schubert’s “Die Schone Mullerin” with Michael Gees, (CC72292), which was a Gramophone Editor’s Choice, and the same composer’s “Schwanengesang” with Andreas Staier (CC72302). Prégardien and Gees also released the award winning ‘Between Life and Death’ in 2009, which featured songs and arias by composers including Mahler, Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Brahms, and Mozart.

This recording of Winterreise is also available on DVD and Blu-ray, featuring a studio performance of the cycle, and a documentary with artist interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of the studio recording process.

The poignant and powerful Winterreise, a haunting depiction of unrequited love, is arguably the greatest of all song-cycles and Schubert’s masterpiece. Melba is pleased to release the first SACD recording of this summit of the singer’s art with acclaimed tenor STEVE DAVISLIM and pianist ANTHONY ROMANIUK.

This studio recording was made after an extremely well received performance given by Davislim and Romaniuk at Melba Hall in Melbourne in October 2007.

Melbourne-born Davislim, one-time pupil of Dame Joan Hammond, has an illustrious international career singing in concert and opera, including roles with La Scala, the German State-Opera Berlin, Hamburg State Opera, The Royal Opera, Schwetzinger Festspiele, the Volksoper in Vienna, Helsinki Opera, Paris Châtelet, Chicago Lyric Opera, and the Schleswig Holstein Festival. Conductors with whom he has sung include John Eliot Gardiner, Colin Davis, Valery Gergiev, Christian Thielemann, Simone Young & Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

Steve Davislim’s other recordings for Melba include Seduction: Songs by Richard Strauss (MR301108) and the world-première of Saint-Saëns’ Hélène and Nuit persane (MR301114-2)

ANTHONY ROMANIUK is gaining considerable attention as a pianist in both the classical and jazz fields. Winterreise is Romaniuk’s second recording for Melba following the Ravel album, Tzigane (MR301115)

Digipak with picture disc and extensive colour booklet, song texts and translations