John Concepción, founder and director of the Opera Up Close series in University Park, calls Franz Schubert’s “Die Winterreise” both challenging and a showcase for performers.
The song cycle set to 24 Wilhelm Müller poems is the focus of Opera Up Close: A Winter’s Journey on Jan. 28 at Governors State University’s Center for Performing Arts.
“It can easily be something that people think, ‘Oh, it’s not my thing.’ If you give yourself a chance, you’ll be surprised at how impactful something like this can be in your life especially this time of year,” said Concepción, the show’s host.
“Selling a program that features 24 German songs about loneliness and heartache in the dead of winter is a hard sell, but anybody who’s ever heard even a part of the Schubert song cycle ‘Winterreise’ will completely understand the attraction.
“It was one of those pieces that is set apart from the rest of the repertoire that singers and pianists will tackle in the prime of their lives because that’s the only time they as an artist can make that type of commitment to the music and commitment to the emotion.”
Concepción, who is also co-chair of the Center for Performing Arts advisory board, booked baritone Evan Bravos of Chicago’s North Side and pianist Jonathan Gmeinder of Chicago’s Northwest Side for this commitment.
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“Evan is a very intelligent singer. He’s in touch with the emotion of the text and the music. You need somebody who is able to convey a story onstage through this kind of music. Evan just seems like a perfect fit,” Concepción said.
“Jonathan is a pianist of extraordinary ability. He just joined the staff at Northwestern (University) in the music school specifically working on collaborations between pianists and singers.”
According to Concepción, onstage cabaret seating for A Winter’s Journey offers intimacy and another level of storytelling.
“(‘Die Winterreise’) requires some experience and maturity to be able to put yourself in the middle of that masterpiece. It is a big work but it is accessible,” said Concepción, a former Flossmoor resident who now lives in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood.
“My idea is to make the presentation feel like you’re immersed in the music, in the poetry so I’ve created a visual graphic presentation that will run throughout the piece that shows all of the translations on screen so you don’t have to keep looking down at a book to read the translations in the dark.
“Also, there are winter images that you will see behind the text and some movement so you get a sense that you are with the singer on a cold, blustery, wintry night trudging through the snow and searching for a love that you will never find.”
A Winter’s Journey also features soprano Desirée Hassler of Oak Park performing Lori Laitman’s “Dear Edna.”
“It just had the right timbre, range and temperament. Desirée is an expressive singer. There’s four different songs in this cycle,” said Concepción about the collection, which includes “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed,” an Edna St. Vincent Millaycq poem.
“The whole program is an exploration of the relationship between poetry and music.”
Opera Up Close: A Winter’s Journey
When: 4 p.m. Jan. 28
Where: Governors State University’s Center for Performing Arts, 1 University Parkway, University Park
Tickets: $65
Information: 708-235-2222; centertickets.net
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.