Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber Open Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Schubert Song Series with WINTERREISE, 12/4

Baritone Christian Gerhaher makes his Symphony Center recital debut with pianist Gerold Huber on Wednesday, December 4 at 7:30 p.m., performing Schubert's Winterreise. This recital opens the 2013/14 Symphony Center Presents Schubert Song series, an exploration of Schubert's most beloved compositions for voice performed by artists renowned for their interpretations of these masterpieces.

Composed in 1827, Winterreise is Schubert's setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller and is considered to contain some of the most beautiful songs ever written. The songs chronicle a "winter journey," during which the lover-spurned by his unfaithful beloved-attempts to escape the memories of his heartbreak only to find greater despair.

Enhancing the intimacy of these special recitals, seating in Orchestra Hall will be limited, with reserved seats placed on the Armour Stage in order to bring the audience and artists as close as possible. This is the first of three recitals in this special series. The second program features baritone Matthias Goerne and pianist and conductor Christoph Eschenbach performing Die schöne Müllerin on Sunday, January 19. The series concludes on Sunday, May 11 with soprano Susanna Phillips performing Der Hirt auf dem Felsen with CSO clarinet John Bruce Yeh and pianist Myra Huang and bass-baritone Eric Owens performing Auf dem Strom with CSO Acting Principal Horn Daniel Gingrich and pianist Myra Huang.

German baritone Christian Gerhaher attended the Opera School of the Academy of Music in Munich and, together with his regular piano partner Gerold Huber, studied lied interpretation with Friedemann Berger. While completing his medical studies, Gerhaher perfected his vocal training in master classes given by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Inge Borkh. His exemplary lied interpretations with Gerold Huber have set standards. The duo appears on the stages of major international recital venues, including Wigmore Hall in London, Carnegie Hall in New York, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Vienna's Konzerthaus and Musikverein.

During the 2013/14 season, Gerhaher premieres two new works, both dedicated to him: a new song cycle by Jörg Widmann with performances in Vienna, Frankfurt, London and Luxembourg (combined with Schumann and Fauré), as well as Goethe's Harzreise im Winter by Wolfgang Rihm. In addition to concerts and recitals, Gerhaher is also a highly sought-after operatic performer. He is invited regularly to perform with major orchestras, including the Munich and Vienna Philharmonics, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra. He also performs with major orchestras outside Europe, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was in residence with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra during the 2012/13 season and is artist-in-residence for the Berlin Philharmonic in the 2013/14 season, the first singer appointed to the position.

The recipient of countless awards for his lieder singing, in 2010 Christian Gerhaher was voted "Singer of the Year" by the journal Opernwelt. Gerhaher is himself an enthusiastic teacher and gives selected master classes. He also holds workshops at the Academy of Music in Munich in his capacity as honorary professor and is a member of the Bavarian Academy of the Fine Arts. His recordings are issued by Sony Music, with which he has an exclusive partnership. Together with his accompanist Gerold Huber, he has recorded Schumann cycles, all the Schubert cycles, as well as many other lied recordings. He can also be heard on albums with orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Concentus Musicus Wien in works by Bach, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Orff and Mahler.

Gerold Huber, pianist of international standing and winner of two coveted Echo prizes, was born in 1969 in Straubing, Bavaria. An experienced and dedicated classical lied accompanist, Huber has made countless guest appearances at various significant festivals, notably the Schubertiades in Schwarzenberg (Austria) and Vilabertran (Spain), the Rheingau Musikfestival and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. His extensive list of performance venues also includes major international concert halls such as the Cologne Philharmonic Hall, Frankfurt's Alte Oper, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Konzertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall in London and the Frick Collection in New York.

Huber's solo performances to date have largely showcased the works of Bach, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms, and have been presented in the Max Joseph Saal of the Munich Residence, at the "Kultursommer" in Kassel, the "Festspiele" in Schwetzingen, the "Europäische Wochen" in Passau, the "New Zealand Festival" in Wellington, in the Theatre Municipal Romains-sur-Isere in France and at the Chamber Festival in Bantry, Ireland. His recordings of Schubert's Winterreise (2002) and Die schöne Müllerin (2004) were both awarded the Echo-Klassik prize. Among the soloists regularly accompanied by Gerold Huber are Christian Gerhaher, Ruth Ziesak, Franz-Josef Selig, Cornelia Kallisch, Diana Damrau, the Liedertafel ensemble and Susanne Brantl.

Program and Ticket Details

Symphony Center Presents
Schubert Song Series

Wednesday, December 4, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Christian Gerhaher, baritone
Gerold Huber, piano

SCHUBERT Winterreise, D. 911

Tickets: $55-$99

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