GERALD FINLEY

This Montreal-born baritone has become one of the most distinguished and versatile artists before us, performing roles ranging from Mozart to Mark-Anthony Turnage in opera, and from Schubert to Samuel Barber and Charles Ives in song.  A long standing performer for the VRS, in this concert he attempts one of the supreme song cycles, Schubert’s Winterisse (‘Winter’s Journey’), the legacy of performers of which include legendary Hans Hotter, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and other great baritones.  Gerald Finley’s singing is on the highest level of technical and interpretative accomplishment. On his June 2012 performance of Winterisse in Brussels: ‘Gerald Finley´s Winterreise is truly an emotional journey. Passing from an initial state of repressed anger, to true anger, then to madness, and ultimately we see the naked grief. I don´t remember when I have heard a Winterreise with changes of emotion presented so contrastingly as Gerald Finley does.’  In many ways, this is the outstanding vocal event of the year.

PLAYHOUSE, 7:30pm, JANUARY 26