Allan Clayton & Paul Lewis

Two extraordinary artists join forces to perform one of the greatest song cycles.

Internationally renowned tenor Allan Clayton has a magnetic stage presence and and extraordinarily flexible and consistent vocal range. He is the recent winner of the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his role in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new opera ‘Festen’ at Royal Ballet & Opera, Covent Garden. He performs repertoire from the Baroque through to works by the leading composers of today. Tonight, he combines with another giant of the classical music world, pianist Paul Lewis. Together they bring Schubert’s setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller to life.

Composed in 1827, just a year before Schubert’s premature death, ‘Winterreise’ is by turn highly emotional, desolate and spare. Writing to his friend and fellow composer Josef von Spaun Schubert declared: ‘I will sing you a cycle of eerie songs. I am keen to see what you will make of them. They have affected me more than any other songs’.