WINTERREISE for piano solo. JOONBYEONG LEE, piano
BEYOND THE WORDS: THE SINGING PIANO
This world-first complete recording is an intensely persona! and historical document that reflects both the simple tradition of "Hausmusik" (home music) from Germany's 19th-century Biedermeier era and the life of a Korean musician in modem Germany who quietly makes a living relying solely on an uprėght piano. Among the countless transcriptions of Winrerreise, this hiscorical arrangement by Robert Wittmann (composed around 1850) was chosen for its utmost fėdelity and closeness to Schubert's originai score. Unlike other versions that introduce added pianistic virtuosity, Wittmann relies on a profound restraint, seamlessly weaving che vocal melodie line into the natural texture of the piano. ln this recording, the origina! text of Winterreise serves merely as a brief starting point. By deliberately dissolving the explicit boundaries of the spoken word, the intent was to grant complete autonomy to the piano's own singing voice. Liberated from the constraints of language, this music invites the audience to immerse rhemselves solely in rhe sound of the instrument, fully surrendering to rhe landscapes painted by their own imagination.
Schubert is particularly special to me. Yet, this specialness does not come from placing him on a higher pedestal than other composers. On the conrrary, his relative imperfections are rather more visible to me. I believe this unpolished quality closely resembles Schubert himself, who appeared somewhat unkempt and deeply introverted. For some reason, I find a profound sense of intimacy in that very aspect. Furthermore, considering his age when he composed this piece-not long before he passed away-he was essentially a peer of mine. Perhaps that is why when I listen to his music, it feels as though a close friend or a younger brother is pouring his heart out to me. To me, this deeply persona! sentiment seems to be captured with particular poignancy in Winterreise. This album, where the solitude of Schuberr's wandering traveler meets that of rhe performer playing the keys as a stranger in a foreign land, invites the listener to sit right next to che piano-a great journey of restoration that fills the void left by the absence of human lyrics with the most honest and vulnerable artistic aura of everyday !ife.
This world-first complete recording is an intensely persona! and historical document that reflects both the simple tradition of "Hausmusik" (home music) from Germany's 19th-century Biedermeier era and the life of a Korean musician in modem Germany who quietly makes a living relying solely on an uprėght piano. Among the countless transcriptions of Winrerreise, this hiscorical arrangement by Robert Wittmann (composed around 1850) was chosen for its utmost fėdelity and closeness to Schubert's originai score. Unlike other versions that introduce added pianistic virtuosity, Wittmann relies on a profound restraint, seamlessly weaving che vocal melodie line into the natural texture of the piano. ln this recording, the origina! text of Winterreise serves merely as a brief starting point. By deliberately dissolving the explicit boundaries of the spoken word, the intent was to grant complete autonomy to the piano's own singing voice. Liberated from the constraints of language, this music invites the audience to immerse rhemselves solely in rhe sound of the instrument, fully surrendering to rhe landscapes painted by their own imagination.
Schubert is particularly special to me. Yet, this specialness does not come from placing him on a higher pedestal than other composers. On the conrrary, his relative imperfections are rather more visible to me. I believe this unpolished quality closely resembles Schubert himself, who appeared somewhat unkempt and deeply introverted. For some reason, I find a profound sense of intimacy in that very aspect. Furthermore, considering his age when he composed this piece-not long before he passed away-he was essentially a peer of mine. Perhaps that is why when I listen to his music, it feels as though a close friend or a younger brother is pouring his heart out to me. To me, this deeply persona! sentiment seems to be captured with particular poignancy in Winterreise. This album, where the solitude of Schuberr's wandering traveler meets that of rhe performer playing the keys as a stranger in a foreign land, invites the listener to sit right next to che piano-a great journey of restoration that fills the void left by the absence of human lyrics with the most honest and vulnerable artistic aura of everyday !ife.
