Sometimes, you can’t help but wonder what’s going through an artist’s mind while they’re performing. Are they solely focused on their music, the composer or their technique? My cello teacher always told me, “Don’t watch the ceiling while you’re playing—inspiration won’t come from the sky; it has to come from within yourself!”
There was one concert that I’ll never forget. It was one of the most daunting performances I’ve ever witnessed. Baritone Hermann Prey was singing Schubert’s Winterreise in a new orchestral arrangement. Originally, the composer tasked with the arrangement was Toru Takemitsu, but unfortunately, he died before starting work on the piece. Instead, Yukikazu Suzuki was commissioned to write the arrangement, which turned out to be somewhat academic yet managed to retain the character and beauty of the original work.
The premiere took place in 1997 at Hermann Prey’s festival in Bad Urach, near Stuttgart, followed by a tour of several major cities. Prey had been seriously ill, suffering greatly, and it was unclear whether the tour would proceed, but ultimately, it did. The second performance was at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, and it proved to be one of the darkest and most depressing interpretations of Winterreise I’ve ever heard.
At 70 minutes long without a break, the work is demanding even under normal circumstances. Prey told the conductor that he would signal if he needed a rest after No. 12 “Einsamkeit—Loneliness”, and we would then have an intermission. The hall was dimly lit, and the sparse lighting made Prey appear as if he could collapse at any moment.
I was in the audience, genuinely frightened, and when
the intermission was announced, I went backstage, fearing the worst.
Behind the stage, the atmosphere was equally sombre. As I approached the dressing room, its bright neon lighting seemed almost surreal. But instead of finding an ailing and frail old man, I found Hermann Prey invigorated and smiling, flipping through a glossy magazine and saying: “Florian, have you seen the new BMW 700 series? Look at this—it’s such a great car! I’ve been thinking about it the whole time; I really ought to buy one!”
The second half of the concert felt more sobering, but it still turned out to be a remarkable performance, culminating in standing ovations.