“Winterreise”

Winterreise “immersion” invites us to enter Schubert's world during his final years. At the tender age of thirty, he was struggling to come to terms with his own mortality, yet still holding on to the exuberance of his youth. Set to Wilhelm Müller's evocative poems, Schubert’s masterpiece is a tribute to his unwavering dedication. Reinhard Mayr and Irena Portenko  join forces on January 28th, 2025 at 8:00 PM at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall to transport the listeners to a point where intense emotions lie in wait. 

Program

"Winterreise" is a profound song cycle for voice and piano composed by Franz Schubert, based on 24 poems by the German poet Wilhelm Müller. This masterpiece, written during the final years of Schubert’s life, reflects the composer’s personal struggles, including his battle with illness, which ultimately led to his untimely death at the age of 31 in 1828. Schubert himself described "Winterreise" as “truly poignant, songs which have affected me more than any others,” underscoring the emotional depth and intensity of the work.
The cycle tells the story of a young man who, heartbroken after his beloved marries another, embarks on a solitary journey through a cold, desolate winter landscape. The poetry captures his torment, as he wrestles with memories, dreams, and the pain of unrequited love. Schubert’s music masterfully conveys this emotional turbulence, with its exquisite harmonies and melodic flow, embodying the Romantic era’s fascination with themes of loneliness, sorrow, and introspection. The narrative unfolds as a monodrama from the perspective of the wandering protagonist. After leaving his town at night, he follows a river and climbs steep paths to a charcoal burner’s hut, where he briefly rests before continuing his journey. Along the way, he encounters a village, a crossroads, and a cemetery, where he is denied even the solace of death. In his despair, he renounces faith and resigns himself to his fate. The cycle concludes with the protagonist meeting a derelict street musician, the only other character in the work. The enigmatic nature of this encounter, coupled with the unresolved question posed in the final lines, leaves the wanderer’s fate open to interpretation. Performing "Winterreise" demands complete immersion from the artists, as they must convey the bleak, cold, and desolate atmosphere of the work. Rarely does an audience leave a performance of this cycle unmoved, as it offers a deeply emotional and unforgettable experience. For the performers, it is equally powerful, as it invites them to step into Schubert’s world—a world where he grappled with his own mortality while still holding on to the vitality of his youth. Set to Wilhelm Müller’s evocative poetry, "Winterreise" stands as a testament to Schubert’s genius and unwavering dedication to his art. In this performance, Reinhard Mayr and Irena Portenko join forces to bring this masterpiece to life, transporting listeners to a place where raw, intense emotions await. Their interpretation promises to honor the depth and beauty of Schubert’s final years, leaving a lasting impression on all who experience it.

"Winterreise" 

D 911 , M ü l l e r D . 911 , Po e t r y Po e t r y b y b y W i l l h e l m W i l l h e l m M ü l l e r
1. Gute Nacht / Good Night
2. Die Wetterfahne / The Weathervane
3. Gefror’ne Tränen / Frozen Tears
4. Erstarrung / Benumbed
5. Der Lindenbaum / The Linden Tree
6. Wasserflut / Flood
7. Auf dem Flusse / On the River
8. Rückblick / On Looking Back
9. Irrlicht / Will-o’-the-Wisp
10. Rast / Rest
11. Frühlingstraum / Dream of Spring
12. Einsamkeit / Loneliness
13. Die Post / The Post
14. Der greise Kopf / The Grey Head
15. Die Krähe / The Crow
16. Letzte Hoffnung / Last Hope
17. Im Dorfe / In the Village
18. Der stürmische Morgen / The Stormy Morning
19. Täuschung / Illusion
20. Der Wegweiser / The Signpost
21. Das Wirtshaus / The Inn
22. Mut / Courage
23. Die Nebensonnen / The Rival Suns
24. Der Leiermann / The Hurdy-Gurdy Man

Video (except)
https://youtu.be/nvyPI-LFcYc?feature=shared

Performers

REINHARD MAYR, Bass

Reinhard Mayr was born in Grieskirchen in Upper Austria. He began his training as a singer with Franz Kalchmair, later continued at the Anton Bruckner Conservatory in Linz. Mr. Mayr moved to the Music Academy of the City of Basel to Kurt Widmer and finally to Robert Holl at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Immediately after his studies he was engaged at the Volksoper Wien, made his debut at the Vienna State Opera shortly afterwards and moved to the Zurich Opera House in 2001, where he remained an ensemble member for 16 seasons. His repertoire ranges from baroque bass roles, such as Monteverdi’s Plutone or Tiridate in Handel’s »Radamisto«, to Mozart’s Sarastro (»Die Zauberflöte«), Bartolo (»Le nozze di Figaro«) and Masetto (»Don Giovanni«), numerous roles in Richard Strauss’ operas, also in a variety of repertoire including modern works and world premieres. Over the years he has worked with conductors such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Zubin Mehta, Christoph von Dohnáyi, Franz Welser-Möst, Sir John Elliot Gardiner, Marc Minkowski, William Christie and Thomas Hengelbrock. In addition to opera, Mr. Mayr devotes himself intensively to lied and oratorio. Above all, sacred baroque music and the lieder of Franz Schubert are among his special preferences. As a concert singer, he has performed at venues such as the Vienna Musikverein, the Royal Albert Hall, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the concert halls in Vienna and Berlin, and Severance Hall in Cleveland. Reinhard Mayr has also performed regularly for many years with various baroque ensembles, such as Thomas Hengelbrock’s Balthasar Neumann Ensemble, the L’Orfeo Baroque Orchestra and the Ensemble ColCanto, with whom he recorded a CD of solo sacred cantatas in 2015.

Irena Portenko, Piano

Named to a “select circle” of pianists by The New York Times, Irena Portenko, DMA is a sought-after
concert pianist, music educator and mentor. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Dr. Portenko first displayed a talent
for the piano at age three, making her debut performing Haydn’s Keyboard Concerto in D Major with the
Ukrainian National Orchestra at the age of eight. Her career as a soloist has included a distinguished array
of performances, In her performances as a soloist with orchestra under the batons of Grammy-nominated
Kenneth Kiesler (USA), Volodymyr Kozhuhar (Ukraine), Rossen Milanov (Bulgaria-USA), Volodymyr
Sirenko (Ukraine), Uwe Harrer (Austria), Allin Vlasenko (Ukraine), and Dai Uk Lee (South Korea). In
addition to her concert work, Dr. Portenko is an avid chamber musician, and has performed with a diverse
range of musicians at festivals and in recital around the world. Since December 2024, Portenko is a
soloist of the contemporary ensemble Reflects de Silence, which debuted on a stage of Zankel Hall at
Carnegie Hall to share a beauty and uniqueness of music by today’s women composers.
Dr. Irena Portenko’s published CDs Chopin Complete Etudes, “Versus” with Tchaikovsky’s First and
Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerti, Music of Michigan composers: 200th year anniversary of the
University of Michigan and Twenty Five Preludes and Fugues by Israel Kremen have received highest
acclaims from various critics and publications.
Dr. Portenko is the Founding Executive and Artistic Director of Herbst Klassik “Auf den Spurren von
Schubert”, an annual festival that embraces music of Schubert, featuring performances and lectures on the
composer’s life and work. “Music in the Alps”, another music festival that is directed by Portenko and
held annually in Austria’s Gastein Valley which promotes cross-cultural dialogue and innovation in
classical music performance. In this role, she oversees all strategic, educational, operational, and artistic
dimensions of the festivals, including the Concerto Aria Competition. Since its’ founding, the festival has
grown from a modest number of students in 2013 into a burgeoning summer program, hosting a large
number of participants and guests.
Since the start of the war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Dr. Portenko has raised more than $200K
by organizing and performing in concerts as well as by starting GoFundMe Campaign to assist displaced
Ukrainian musicians: https://gofund.me/7848799f and to support a families with children, as they settle
after fleeing the war Dr. Portenko has served as piano faculty at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, at The Music Conservatory of Westchester and at the Scarsdale School District in New York, accompanying, teaching
music history and theory classes and piano instruction. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Kyiv
National Academy of Music, followed by her post-graduate degree from the Ukrainian National Academy
of Music. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees in music and piano performance from the
University of Michigan School of Music.