Schubert Ur-Winterreise: Fremd bin ich eingezogen
Voice: Julian Prégardien
Santur: Ehsan Ebrahimi
String Quartet: Balthasar NOVA Ensemble
Concept: Kian Jazdi
Franz Schubert’s Winterreise is one of the most iconic works of the Romantic era: a cycle of songs tracing the emotional and spiritual descent of a wanderer through a bleak winter landscape. Often chosen as a metaphor for exile, grief, and unfulfilled longing, but is it? Throughout the Matinée, selected Schubert songs emerge not as sung texts, but in metamorphosed form: reinterpreted, recomposed, and sonically reimagined through the voice of the santur – offering a haunting, wordless commentary on the journey.
At the heart of the performance is Julian Prégardien, one of today’s most compelling tenors, known for his exceptional artistry and depth of interpretation. His intimate delivery brings new urgency to Schuberts music with its fine poetry. Especially to the opening line that gives this evening its title: “Fremd bin ich eingezogen”.
In this interpretation Winterreise finds a fresh voice: arranged by the innovative Balthasar NOVA musicians, a young string quartet and the delicate tones of the Persian santur, played by the renowned Ehsan Ebrahimi. This transcultural instrumentation infuses Schubert’s music with a haunting, dreamlike resonance. It opens space for unexpected connections between European Romanticism and Persian musical tradition.
Date & Time: Matinée, 9th of November / 12:30 h
Venue: Morphine Records Studios, Köpenicker Straße 147 Hinterhof, 1. Etage, 10997 Berlin
Tickets: LINK
A collaboration between Liedstadt and FRAMED BERLIN
Supported by the Ilse und Dr. Horst Rusch-Stiftung
Julian Prégardien is one of the leading classical tenors of his generation, known for his clarity of voice, deep understanding of text, and compelling storytelling.
He is a sought-after recitalist with a special focus on art song and chamber music. Together with Cate Pisaroni and Kian Jazdi he is founder and artistic director of the Liedstadt Festival.
His concert career spans international collaborations with world-class orchestras and conductors.
Ehsan Ebrahimi is a composer and santur player born in 1980 in Mashhad, Iran, with deep roots in both traditional Persian music and contemporary composition.
He studied composition in Iran and later in Germany, earning degrees from the HMTM Hannover and HfK Bremen, with a focus on electroacoustic music. His works have been performed by renowned ensembles such as Ensemble Musikfabrik, Ensemble Mosaik, and Schola Heidelberg. Ebrahimi also founded the Ferdowsi Orchestra in Iran and Ensemble Gohar in Germany, bridging cultures through sound and tradition.
Balthasar NOVA is a visionary European academy program by Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble for historically informed performance, empowering outstanding young musicians from over 20 countries to shape self-determined freelance careers, represented in this concert by a string quartet formed within the program.
It combines high-level artistic training with a strong emphasis on social responsibility and critical engagement with the role of artists in society.
Kian Jazdi is a Hamburg-based musician and project designer whose work bridges disciplines and communities. His projects explore questions of representation on, off, and beyond the stage, and seek to spark curiosity through transdisciplinary formats.
As co-founder and artistic co-director of the Liedstadt Festival, he curates innovative experiences that reframe the Lied in contemporary contexts.
Liedstadt is an organization that reimagines the Lied and song as a space of connection, cultural dialogue, and emotional immediacy.
Breaking with rigid concert traditions, Liedstadt brings song into unexpected places – from boats to museums – and creates intimate, resonant experiences for diverse audiences.
In this concert, Liedstadt appears in collaboration with framed.berlin continuing its mission to give the Lied a contemporary voice.
