Schubertreise

Songs of Franz Schubert (1797-1828) 

Der Strom, D 565. 

Abschied, D 578.

Der Knabe in der Wiege, D 579. 

Vollendung, D 579A. 

Die Erde, D 579B. 

Elysium, D 584. 

Atys, D 585. 

An den Frühling, D 283. 

An den Frühling, D 587. 

Grenzen der Menscheit, D 716. 

Der Kampf, D 594 . 

Auf der Riesenkoppe, D 611.

An den Mond in einer Herbst Nacht, D614. 

Grablied für die Mutter, D616.

If 1815 and 1816 were Schubert’s most productive years when it came to Lied composition (142 and 112 songs respectively), the remaining years of his life see a sharp downturn in quantity, though certainly not in quality. Only in 1823 and 1827, with the composition of the two great song cycles, do we see a return to the momentum of the earlier years. Songwriting for Schubert tended to be concentrated in the spring and autumn months, while the rest of the year was devoted to chamber music, symphonies and opera.

Dubliner Conor Biggs has spent most of his professional career interpreting art song. In 2013, together with Belgian pianist Michel Stas he launched his complete songs of Schubert, or Schubertreise, in the National Concert Hall, Dublin. Based in Belgium, he studied singing with Anne Marie Ó Sullivan and Evelyn Dowling (Dublin) and John Cameron (RNCM, Manchester).

Michel Stas is active as soloist and as pianist in many chamber and vocal ensembles in his native Belgium. He is currently Head of Overijse Music Academy (Belgium). He has collaborated with Conor Biggs on numerous occasions, notably as accompanist for all twenty nine recitals to date of the Dublin series of Schubertreise.