Schubert Birthday Tribute

On January 31, we celebrate the 215th birthday of the master Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828), here marked with a Noteworthy video featuring the legendary baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau performing selections from the famed song cycle Die schöne Müllerin. Schubert was a master in most every genre of his era, contributing warhorses in the realms of solo piano, chamber, and orchestral music, but it is in the realm of Lieder or art songs that Schubert was perhaps most in his element – contributing some 1000 songs in his short 31 years. Fischer-Dieskau is perhaps the most famous Schubert Lied interpreter, and in this 1992 performance (with pianist Christophe Eschenbach) he performs the first 7 songs of Die schöne Müllerin, starting with the famed "Das Wandern". Fittingly, Schubert is also featured with a FREE 1-Click Concert as part of our "Live and Learn" segment and is a major topic in our new interview with pianist Simone Dinnerstein, both on our Home Page. Tell us about your favorite Schubert pieces and artists!

Composer: Franz Schubert (1797-1828) 

Franz Schubert, whose 215th birthday we celebrated on January 31, is revered by critics and music lovers alike as among the all-time geniuses of classical music. Though passing away at the tragically young age of 31, Schubert produced a mind-boggling number of works, in every genre available to him – making particularly rich and innovative contributions in the realm of piano, chamber, and orchestra works, as well as over 600 Lieder (songs). Though perhaps not as revolutionary as his older contemporary Beethoven, Schubert’s innovations in harmony, his supreme gifts of melody, and his unique Romantic sensibility left a deep impact on future generations of composers. This concert features a sampling of some of his well-known works.

Period: Modern (1900-) 

The Modern and Contemporary periods have witnessed extraordinary change and diversity in musical style and techniques – with every musical parameter subject to revaluation and experimentation. All this as composers have sought to reflect modern life in sound. This concert features music by many of the giants of the last 100 years.

The voice is the most natural of instruments, the only one capable of conveying both music and text, and thus it has played an essential role in the history of Western art music. This concert features great examples from every era, including by Handel, Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Verdi, Berg, and others.