The Schubertíada is definitely committed to young lied talents, to whom it not only provides masterclasses with valued teachers but also invites them to perform at the Vilabertran canon so that they begin to realize themselves professionally. “What these young debutants want is not to take more courses but to get them on stage,” says the festival director, Víctor Medem.
Thus, the 32nd edition of this event with lied and chamber music will be inaugurated on August 16 (until September 1) by soprano Katja Maderer, artist of the Lied the Future program (with the financial support of the Fundació Banc Sabadell) who was among the scholarship recipients for the 2023 course taught by the baritone Christoph Prégardien. Maderer will kick things off with Wolfram Rieger on piano and a program with songs by Schubert, Wolf, Dvorák and Brahms. “There is a revival of Brahms, young musicians demand him and he will be the most listened to author of this Schubertíad,” says Medem.
In its role as voice prescriber, this festival “of a first-class international character that does not renounce excellence”, in the words of Xavier Cester, director of the music area of the ICEC, will host two other young people: the Scottish Beth Taylor, intense mezzo that impressed this year at the Dido
But the greats also return: Matthias Goerne, with that Schumann/Brahms that he has on tour with Evgeni Kissin (although without the renowned Russian pianist); Andrè Schuen, with Brahms/Malher; Johannes Martin Kränzle, who will transmute into the Winterreise walker in addition to being a renowned teacher of the eight Lied the Future 2024 scholarship recipients, together with Chrisstiane Iven. Also performing will be Julia Kleiter, who adds Britten, Previn and Richard Strauss to her Brahms and Schubert programme. And the young Erika Baikoff, who opened the 2023 edition and is already standing out – “all the pianists ask me for their phone number,” jokes Medem. Also, keep an eye out for the debut of the renowned Swedish soprano Malin Byström, who will offer French authors.
There are 33 concerts scheduled between Catalonia, Euskadi – in July, with soprano Sara Blanch and a “spectacular” Chinese tenor called Zhouhan Sun – and Cantabria (this May), in addition to 40 informative activities throughout the year, such as talks about lied and poetry in Barcelona bookstores. All this with a budget of 370,000 euros.
Great news are the own productions, starting with the world premiere of the first cycle of songs by Hèctor Parra, based on poetry by Mercè Rodoreda, which will open the already traditional prologue of the festival in Vilajuïga (August 10) with the tenor David Alegret and the pianist Ruben Fernandez Aguirre. On the following day, Elena Copons will pay tribute to Conxita Badía there with songs by Schönberg or Toldrà, and the media presenter Òscar Dalmau will close the edition with a family concert in which he will invite children to a journey through the prodigy of composition. On the other hand, instead of holding concerts in Castelló d'Empúries, this time the collaboration will be with the Pals Clàssics Festival: "There is a fantastic cathedral!", emphasizes Jordi Roch, alma mater of the Schubertíada.
Other proposals of character in Vilabertan are the complete works for violin and piano by Schubert that will be played by Catalan musicians (Maria Florea with Alex Ramírez and Abel Tomàs with Emma Stratton), or the complete suites for cello or Bach (with the counterpoint to Britten's Suite) by seven cellists from the country: from Arnau Tomàs to Laia Puig, Erica Wise, Pau Codina, Mariona Camats, Guillem Gràcia and Oriol Prat.
In addition, soprano Katharina Konradi premieres with the Cosmos Quartet – in co-production with the Granada Festival – an adaptation of Schubert lieder for quartet performed by José María Sánchez Verdú. A program with which the singer from Kyrgyzstan wants to reproduce those gatherings of friends that were the schubertiadas in Schubert's time. Finally, the Cor de Cambra del Palau recreates that family atmosphere with Una Schubertíada, before the Quartet Casals closes the edition.
