Ian Bostridge, David Freeman

Schubert's Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession

Performer and music professor Ian Bostridge draws on his vast musical knowledge and his experience of singing Schubert's Winter Journey to explore the enigmas and subtle meanings of the song cycle –considered to be the single greatest piece of music in the history of Lieder. Bostridge will play recordings of some of the 24 short poems in Winter Journey and talk to broadcaster David Freeman about what they reveal about Schubert's life and his psychological make-up and about the historical and political pressures of his time. Bostridge is Humanitas professor of Music at the University of Oxford and has performed to critical claim across Europe North America and the Far East. He is author of Witchcraft and Its Transformations c.1650-c.1750 and A Singer's Notebook and is a regular contributor to The Guardian and the Times Literary Supplement.