Schubert - Winterreise / Brigitte Fassbaender, Petr Weigl

Directed by distinguished Czech filmmaker Petr Weigl, this dramatization of Schubert's masterwork Die Winterreise (The Winter Journey) is a song cycle beautifully interpreted by mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender. Die Winterreise is not an opera but a cycle of songs drawn from a series of poems and has been called Schubert's greatest legacy in a remarkably prolific career. The various human emotions conveyed by the songs are tantalizingly reflected and alluded to in a number of interwoven storylines linking the various travelers undertaking the "winter journey." Weigl created his film with an eye toward conceptual expression of theme and mood rather than merely illustrating the events of the stories. The music, as well as the visuals, evoke feelings of fear, grief, loneliness, unrequited love, and futility. Backed by a rhythmic, somber piano score, the vocalist narrates and serves as the voices of the various travelers in this haunting masterpiece. 69 minutes.