Die Schöne Müllerin
Franz Schubert’s song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin will be presented in the original German language by Scottish vocalist Thomas Beavitt on 19th April 2019 at Ekaterinburg’s Dom Muzyki (House of Music). Accompanied by the pianist Alexander Polyakov, laureate of international competitions, all 20 songs from one of the most popular songs cycles of the Romantic era will be heard from the venue’s stage.
Although the rhythmic pattern and melody of each song are quite distinct, they are united by a common theme – the love and life of a young apprentice miller, whose heart is broken by the miller’s beautiful daughter. However, his dream of love turns into a tragic nightmare when, instead of our young hero, the heroine chooses a dashing hunter as her suitor.
The cycle’s memorable melodies are written in a folky spirit, with marvellous landscapes opened up by the piano accompaniment, which glides, murmurs and tumbles along to the vocalist’s emotional outpourings just like the brook, representing our protagonist’s inner state and only true friend.
The songs from Die Schöne Müllerin became very popular in Germany following their first performance (32 years after their creation), being performed by professional vocalists and amateurs alike. To this day, Schubert’s songs are very well known and actively performed in European countries.
“In Russia, it is fairly rare for a performer to take on the performance of this cycle; in Yekaterinburg, all the more so. Sometimes you can hear it in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but not here,” commented Alexei Petrov, the well-known Ekaterinburg singer, winner of all-Russian and international competitions and the Sverdlovsk Governor’s Prize. “Reasons for this include the foreign language and the technical demands placed on the singer. ”
This is not the first year that Thomas Beavitt has explored the work of Schubert. In April 2018, on the same stage, he presented the cycle Winter Journeyman (in his own English translation), which is a kind of sequel to Die Schöne Müllerin.
Concert «Die Schöne Müllerin» (Franz Schubert).
Performed by:
Vocal ‑ Thomas Beavitt (Scotland),
Piano ‑ laureate of international competitions Alexander Polyakov (Russia).
19 April at 19:00, Dom Muzyki, 30 Sverdlova street