The first soloist to perform in South Korea, the German singer Appel, said, “Lieder is Germany’s best cultural export product.”

Schubert’s ‘Winterreise’ full performance on the 5th…Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation’s first classical stage

‘Meeting Winterreise in 2024’ poster
[Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation provided. Prohibited resale and DB]

‘ (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Sun-hyun = “We hope for a lot of interest and love for the German cultural export product, Lied.”‘

” Benjamin Appl, a German baritone who will perform in Korea for the first time for the Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation’s ‘Meeting Winterreise in 2024’ concert on the 5th at the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul’s Songpa-gu, showed exceptional pride in Lied. Appl, who is visiting Korea for the first time, will sing all 24 songs of Schubert’s song cycle ‘Winterreise’ at this concert.”

” Appearing at a press conference held on the 3rd at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Appl said, ‘Lied, a combination of poetry and music, is the most beautiful art form in Germany,’ and expressed his desire to convey the beauty of Lied to the Korean audience well.”

Benjamin Appl responding
[Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation provided. Prohibited resale and DB]

” Appl, who is being recognized as the ‘next-generation Lieder singer’ for actively performing Lieder stages in Germany and the UK, specializes in Schubert’s ‘Winterreise,’ known as the ‘King of Lieder.’ Appl, who released the ‘Winterreise’ album in 2022, also appeared in a documentary film ‘Winterreise’ produced by the BBC in the same year. ‘Winterreise’ composed in 1827, depicts the story of a man wandering in despair of unrequited love. It is also famous as Schubert’s last Lied, composed in 1828 at the age of 31.”

” Appl explained, ‘Even though ‘Winterreise’ is a piece composed 200 years ago, it still resonates with us, and it is a significant piece in the history of Lied, as it includes words not commonly used even in modern Germany.'”

” As a performance introducing ‘Winterreise’ to the Korean audience, Appl expressed his determination to present a stage that maximizes his strengths. He said, ‘It is a work that sings about a person on an inner journey, and the meaning can vary depending on the performer. I will try to communicate with the audience as much as possible and sing with empathy.'”

Benjamin Appl (right) and Baek Soomi, Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation Director
[Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation provided. Prohibited resale and DB]

” Appl also revealed his sense of mission as the last disciple of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, known as the highest authority on Schubert Lieder. Appl, who met Fischer-Dieskau in 2009 and became his disciple, is the only disciple who received personal guidance until Fischer-Dieskau’s death in May 2012.”

” Appl said, ‘Fischer-Dieskau did not simply deliver his music to the audience but strived to create,’ and added, ‘He taught me a lot not only about music but also about life.'”

” Appl stated that he was deeply impressed by the airport staff who welcomed him in German during immigration inspection and did not hide his expectations for his first performance in Korea. He said, ‘I heard that the classical audience in Korea is relatively young compared to classical performances in Europe, where the audience is often older. I am very excited to perform in front of the welcoming Korean audience.'”

Baek Soomi, Director of Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation, responding
[Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation provided. Prohibited resale and DB]

” The Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation plans to organize various classical performances starting from this concert. Baek Soomi, Director of the Hanse Yes24 Cultural Foundation, stated, ‘While we have focused on introducing various art and literature works from East Asia, we plan to expand our scope to the music field in celebration of our foundation’s 10th anniversary.’ She added, ‘This concert by Appl will be the beginning of planning performances focused on Lieder for a while.'”

” hyun@yna.co.kr”