WINTERREISE
THE COST OF ISOLATION
A staged performance of Schubert’s masterwork song cycle with a focus on homelessness, isolation, and mental health
As timeless and celebrated as any piece of classical music, Winterreise has been presented in many different packages. It has been set in a mental institution, translated into dance, and performed ad nauseam in front of projections of beautiful winter landscapes.
The general tendency of these productions has been to focus on the individual, faithfully telling a story of love, loss, and isolation that drives one person to madness.
The story told through the poetry of Winterreise is one of a person who has lost their connection to their community. In the isolation brought on by their trauma, the protagonist unravels. This is the story of a person cast out from their home — a person without a safety net who plunges into the chasm of mental illness. They are the barefoot man wearing half a dirty shirt lying across a subway bench.
The percentage of our population experiencing homelessness is increasing, and between inflation, inadequate social safety nets, and a real estate market that cannot meet the housing demands of a growing population, the average American is only an unlucky break or two away from spending a night on the street.
Every single person living in New York City passes multiple people experiencing homelessness on their daily commute. We don’t stop to think about how they got there or what could help them. In fact, we avoid eye contact and hurry past them. Every person experiencing homelessness has their own story — a past that has led them to the moment you walk past their outstretched hand.
As artists, we must use our medium to force our community to confront what it is avoiding.
THE CAST
Jonathan Bryan
Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Jonathan Bryan has been praised for his “beautifully resonant baritone” and “substantial sound,” and has performed leading roles on stages throughout the United States and abroad. He is an alumnus of the Atlanta Opera Studio, Wolf Trap Opera, and The Glimmerglass Festival Young Artist Program. He recently completed his residency with the Washington National Opera Cafritz Young Artist Program where he made his Kennedy Center debut as Escamillo and Moralès in Francesca Zambello's production of Carmen.
Lyndsi Maus
Lyndsi Maus is an award-winning collaborative pianist who specializes in Lieder and working with singers. She holds a Master’s degree in Piano Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music as well as a Master’s degree in Klavier Vokalbegleitung from the Kunst Universität Graz where she was a student of acclaimed British pianist, Julius Drake.
XI. Frühlingstraum
A blurb about this number.
