BEN LOWE, baritone

ROBERT CASSIDY, piano

Schubertiade Part One

Franz Schubert’s Die Winterreise

Ben Lowe and Robert Cassidy perform their beautifully nuanced interpretation of Schubert’s song cycle Die Winterreise.   Schubert composed twenty-four songs set to the texts of German poet Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827). This is undeniably one of Schubert's greatest works.

Sunday, November 19, 2023 at 4:00pm

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Please enjoy learning more about this concert from these excerpts from music critic Leonne Lewis’ interview with Artistic Director Robert Cassidy for Miroirs Ca about  Schubert’s Die Winterreise
 
“LL: The SYV Concert Series programs include Schubertiade 1& 2 with Die Winterreise being the first with Ben Lowe. I believe you have also
made a recording of this song cycle with him. May I ask which label? Could you offer insight into Schubert's intent in the way he uses
music and text to tell a rather dark story about an unrequited wanderer. And your take about Der Leiermann, the last song which has
been described as funky and mysterious.
 
RLC:  Ben Lowe and I did in fact record Die Winterreise on a private label back in November of 2021. We were fortunate to spend the week working at Studio Hill in Austin, Texas with a superb team. Chad Berlinghieri was the Executive Producer and Gerhard Joost was the Engineer. This performance on November 19, 2023 will be our first live presentation of the cycle. Schubert is the greatest lied composer of all time, and this cycle may be his most significant output of the genre. Setting the texts of poet Wilhelm Muller (1794-1827) to such extraordinary music is nothing short of miraculous. The journey seems timeless over the 24 songs and covers the complete gamut of human hope and despair. For it to end so profoundly with Der Leiermann is absolutely emotionally shattering to both the performers and the audience. Schubert definitely was penning his autobiography with this composition. He is the organ grinder.

LL: What are the challenges and perks for pianist, singer and audience
in performing the 60 minute (or so) Die Winterreise without a break?
 
 RLC: To ensure a successful collaborative performance of any piece of music, the performer's preparation time must be significant both together and separately. Now that we've had two years since the recording, our interpretation of the work has grown and deepened. The challenge with performing such a long work is staying "in the zone" and making sure that everyone in the audience is there with you from the first note until the last. This way the artistic impact is most effective.  That is the perk!”

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Ben Lowe, baritone

Ben Lowe, (Baritone) heralded for his “stentorian voice” by Singerpreneur, is quickly becoming a household name in the opera world in Southern California and abroad. A highly sought-after operatic performer and concert soloist, Mr. Lowe made his European concert debut this season in Siena and Florence, Italy as the Bass soloist in the Verdi Requiem with Unione Corale Senese “Ettore Bastianini”. Returning to Pacific Opera Project in their production of La Bohème as Marcello concludes a jam-packed season; 2018 included a debut performance of Marcello opposite Joshua Guerrero and Julianna Di Giacomo at The Colburn School of Music, reprising the role of Dulcamara in l’elisir d’amore, and a workshop of a new, one-act opera for LA Opera. Mr. Lowe made his New York debut performing in the east coast premiere of Matt Aucoin’s opera Crossing and performed his one act opera Second Nature in 2017. His 2019 season begins with a world premiere of Llantos, a new Mariachi opera presented in Arizona. Then, Mr. Lowe will be joining Opera Delaware as a Young Artist for their season, performing leading roles in Dead Man Walking and Trial by Jury.  Past achievements include being a finalist in both the Palm Springs Opera Guild and The Loren L. Zachary Society competitions, and winner of the 2016 Marilyn Horne Song Competition. Mr. Lowe studies under Maestro Vladimir Chernov and is a graduate of Cal State Dominguez Hills and UCLA.

​Please visit BenLoweBaritone.com 

Robert Cassidy, piano

Celebrated pianist, Robert Cassidy, has received widespread praise for his performances and recordings of solo piano repertoire, as well as vocal and instrumental chamber music. Released in February of 2022 is a new recording of Franz Schubert’s Die Wintereisse featuring Cassidy with American baritone, Ben Lowe.

Cassidy is the Artistic Director of the Santa Ynez Valley Concert Series in Los Olivos, California. He has performed chamber music with the members of the Cleveland Orchestra, cellist Ani Aznavoorian, and violist, Richard O’Neill, among many other esteemed musicians.

​An extremely active and highly sought-after teacher and chamber music coach, Cassidy is in demand for master classes, workshops and lectures, private teaching, and adjudication. A former member of the faculty at Cleveland State University, Cassidy currently teaches at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California.