Superstar tenor Jonas Kaufmann could easily fill his performance calendar with Verdi, Wagner and Puccini. But, for Kaufmann, however much he loves opera, interpreting the classical lieder repertory is the highest order of singing. It demands far more detailed work than any other vocal discipline, more color, more nuances and a greater range of dynamics. On Kaufmann’s new album, Schubert: Winterreise, the opera star tackles what is generally regarded as the pinnacle of lieder singing. It is considered the composer’s greatest contribution to the Lied repertoire. The Winterreise (Winter Journey) song cycle is set to twenty-four poems by the poet Wilhelm Muller and was completed by Schubert in 1827. Says Kaufmann, “I think that Winterreise has the same sort of cathartic effect as a Greek drama: the emotional experience purges the soul. For me, the work has an almost meditative effect because Schubert expressed these emotional depths that allow me to regain my own inner balance.”

After working together closely for more than twenty years and giving a number of recitals of Schubert’s great song cycles, Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch make their first recording of Winterreise which documents their special partnership.