United Kingdom Schubert: Allan Clayton (tenor), Aurora Orchestra / Nicholas Collon (conductor). Queen Elizabeth Corridor, London, 14.3.2024. (AK)

Schubert (arr. Hans Zender) – Winterreise
Idea and Course – Jane Mitchell
Co-director – Allan Clayton

It was with some trepidation in addition to joyful anticipation with what I used to be trying ahead to this efficiency. Schubert’s Winterreise, composed in 1827 to poems by Wilhelm Müller, may very well be thought to be sacrosanct. The 24-song cycle describes the ideas of a younger man who was dejected in love however arguably it is usually a farewell to life which the very ailing Schubert composed a 12 months earlier than his demise. Regardless of the that means, this cycle for voice and piano is among the nice masterpieces of the canon.

In 1993, German composer Hans Zender supplied his impression of the cycle in his ‘Schubert’s Winterreise – A Composed Interpretation’. Zender appears to depart Schubert’s vocal line intact – there could be some melodic adjustments which I didn’t discover, and there’s some Sprechstimme which I did discover – however he re-imagines the soundscape for the accompaniment which he extends by about half an hour. Schubert’s piano introduction to the primary track (Gute Nacht) is six bars lengthy; Zender’s orchestral introduction to the identical track is about three minutes. The size of orchestral extension varies from track to track, relying on the textual content of the each.

The devices utilized by Zender embody strings, wind, brass, harp, timpani and percussion but in addition melodicas, a saxophone, guitar, an accordion in addition to a wind machine. Moreover, using devices creates additional number of sounds. At this live performance, the introduction to the primary track began with the timpani participant very slowly and really gently transferring the palm of his hand on his instrument. The sound was barely audible however progressively elevated and was joined by the string gamers including col legno and pizzicato to the slowly rising soundscape of the snow. Zender’s use of instrumentation and of his particular person devices shouldn’t be haphazard: he chooses any mixture of his devices in response to how he interprets Wilhelm Müller’s poems (and Schubert’s response to them).

Zender steered some stage course to a few of his gamers, akin to strolling slowly whereas taking part in their devices. I’ve not but seen his rating however I suppose that Zender might need needed further sound results by such directions.

I’m unsure which stage course got here from Zender and which from co-directors Jane Mitchell and Allan Clayton on this manufacturing. Nonetheless, what I skilled was 90 minutes of thrilling theatre. There was no interval in the course of the efficiency and latecomers weren’t allowed in. For ninety fascinating minutes we skilled, virtually lived by means of, the painful journey of Schubert’s lonely protagonist (or of Schubert himself).

Tenor (and right here co-director) Allan Clayton is astonishing past phrases. I’ve lengthy admired the purity and integrity of his singing, however this time he was on the stage for whole time portraying textual content and music by facial expressions, strolling (on stage and at one level within the auditorium), crawling, sitting, mendacity down, giving an Elvis impersonation with a guitar, dancing, and fading out of life on conclusion. Clayton would have been deeply transferring even when he didn’t sing a single notice. However he additionally sang Schubert’s demanding cycle, along with his customary creative intelligence and integrity.

I’m not certain concerning the stage design and lighting, there was a lot occurring. All I can say is that the general impression was an awesome theatrical expertise which included the staging, lighting and video projection. I’m sure that these components should have been, up to some extent, dictated by restrictions on the Queen Elizabeth Corridor live performance stage. I’d like to see this entire manufacturing in a small theatre, even when we might lose strolling within the auditorium (which the tenor in addition to members of the orchestra did at one level).

Absolutely the Aurora Orchestra is exclusive nationwide and worldwide. They play their devices to a excessive normal, they play principally from reminiscence and, on this manufacturing, they convincingly act as, for example, the villagers, the postman and even the crows alongside the journey. Whereas taking part in their devices, they stroll on stage, they stroll within the auditorium, they sit, kneel, throw snowflakes and are wholly integral to the theatrical expertise. Their founder conductor, Nicholas Collon, raised the bar excessive for different teams to attempt to comply with this versatility. Within the meantime, Collon and his Aurora current music at its finest.

Agnes Kory