Winterreise : Sly & Godin

Concert

Schubert’s Winterreise (“winter journey”) is a cycle of 24 songs on poems by Wilhelm Müller. It’s a powerful and gripping journey into the heart of loneliness and despair. The songs are a real challenge for the performers, and not many dare to tackle the entire cycle in a concert setting. Bass-baritone Philippe Sly and pianist Olivier Godin, however, handle it brilliantly.

Please note that this concert is 70 minutes without intermission.

Repertoire Overview

SCHUBERT, Winterreise, D.911

Artists

Philippe Sly
French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly has gained international recognition for his “beautiful, blooming tone and magnetic stage presence” (San Francisco Chronicle). Mr. Sly is the first prize winner of the prestigious Concours Musical International de Montréal, a grand prize winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and was awarded Concert of the Year in Romantic, Post-Romantic and Impressionist Music at the 16th annual ceremony of the Gala des prix Opus.

In 22/23 Mr. Sly will debut at Opernhaus Zürich for Lakmé (Nilakantha) and the Bayeriche Staatsoper for Semele (Cadmus) and return to the Wiener Staatsoper for Don Giovanni (Leporello). On the concert stage he will appear with the New York Philharmonic for St. Matthew Passion and National Arts Centre (Canada) for Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C Minor.

Last season he debuted with Opéra de Québec for Don Giovanni (title role), and the Matsumoto Festival in Le nozze di Figaro (title role) and returned to the Wiener Staatsoper for Le nozze di Figaro (title role) and Don Giovanni (Leporello). On the concert stage he appeared in St. Matthew Passion with Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and St. John Passion and Mozart Requiem with Les Violons de Roy. In the 20/21 season, he made his debut at the Wiener Staatsoper in Le nozze di Figaro and returned to Orchestre Métropolitain and Les Violons de Roy for their annual Galas.

Recent performances include the world premiere of Stafylakis’ Into Oblivion with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem with Vancouver Symphony; Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Gulbenkian Orchestra (Portugal); Handel’s Messiah with the University Musical Society; and Mozart Mass in C Minor with National Arts Centre (Canada) and Maison Symphonique de Montreal. Additionally, he returns to the Paris Opera (Garnier) for productions of Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte as well as performances of Schubert’s Winterreise with Le Chimera Project.

Olivier Godin
Originally from Montreal, pianist Olivier Godin has an active career on the international scene. He regularly accompanies opera artists such as Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Karina Gauvin, Wolfgang Holzmair, François Le Roux, Donna Brown, Frédéric Antoun and many others. He has released over thirty recordings, including the complete works of Dutilleux, Poulenc, Fauré and Massenet. Olivier Godin is the artistic director of Salle Bourgie in Montreal.