Recorded in a Romanesque chapel in 1993
Francisco Araiza tenor
Jean Lemaire piano

Schubert Der Leiermann (songcycle "Winterreise")

Only one year before his death, Franz Schubert created his masterpiece, “Winterreise”, a setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Mueller. The beauty and the tragedy of this work are wonderfully interpreted by the tenor Francisco Araiza and by the pianist Jean Lemaire. They offer us a marvelous interpretation of Schubert’s great song cycle.
The internationallyacclaimed Mexican lied singer Araiza has sung as soloist in leading concert halls and in leading tenor operatic roles in the major opera houses of Europe and North America.

Watch the whole song cycle:    • Schubert  Der Leiermann (Winterreise...  

Lyrics

Drüben hinterm Dorfe
Steht ein Leiermann
Und mit starren Fingern
Dreht er was er kann.

Barfuß auf dem Eise
Wankt er hin und her
Und sein kleiner Teller
Bleibt ihm immer leer,
Und sein kleiner Teller
Bleibt ihm immer leer.

Keiner mag ihn hören,
Keiner sieht ihn an,
Und die Hunde knurren
Um den alten Mann.

Und er läßt es gehen,
Alles wie es will,
Dreht, und seine Leier
Steht ihm nimmer still,
Dreht, und seine Leier
Steht ihm nimmer still.

Wunderlicher Alter!
Soll ich mit dir geh'n?
Willst zu meinen Liedern
Deine Leier dreh'n?

***

José Francisco Araiza Andrade (born 4 October 1950), is a Mexican operatic tenor and lied singer who has sung as soloist in leading concert halls and in leading tenor operatic roles in the major opera houses of Europe and North America during the course of a lengthy career. Born in Mexico City, he studied singing at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música de México and later in Germany, with Mozartian tenor Richard Holm, and lieder interpretation with Erik Werba. He made his operatic debut in 1970 in Mexico City as First Prisoner in Beethoven's Fidelio. Araiza initially came to international prominence singing in Mozart and Rossini operas, but in the 1980s broadened his repertoire to include Italian and French lyric tenor roles and Wagnerian roles such as Lohengrin and Walther von Stolzing. He was made a Kammersänger of the Vienna State Opera in 1988. Now retired from the opera stage, he teaches singing and serves on the juries of several international singing competitions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis...