Extraordinary music

MATTHIAS Goerne was born to sing the lieder. His interpretation of Schubert's Winterreise (Winter Journey) at the Singapore International Festival of Arts is dark and haunting, with occasional well-judged moments of lightness and grace.

As he traces the changing moods of a man musing on lost love, he nimbly brings out the shifts in tones and tempo through his baritone, brooding gaze and intense body gestures.

Pianist Markus Hinterhauser accompanies Goerne's journey with a consistently fresh, intelligent and unflappable approach. Despite the heaviness of the words, the two musicians communicate a tenderness and fragility that make Schubert's 1827 song cycle almost new again.