Schubert's Schwanengesang
Sun, 17 May
|Auckland Opera Studio
Julien Van Mallaerts and Somi Kim present Schubert's 'Schwanengesang' and Errollyn Wallen's 'The Lake,' with supporting performance by Bella Allan-Moetaua and Matthew Spooner.
Time & Location
17 May 2026, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Auckland Opera Studio, 3 Glenside Crescent, Eden Terrace, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
About the event
Mezzo-soprano Bella Allan-Moetaua and pianist Matthew Spooner present an introductory programme before baritone Julien Van Mallaerts and pianist Somi Kim take the stage to perform Schubert's Schwanengesang, paired with Errollyn Wallen's The Lake.
Schwanengesang (Swansong), D 957, is a posthumously assembled collection of 14 late lieder by Franz Schubert, published in 1829 as his final musical testament. Composed in 1828 just before his death at age 31, it features settings of poems by Ludwig Rellstab (7 songs), Heinrich Heine (6 songs), and Johann Gabriel Seidl (1 song).
Unlike Winterreise, Schwanengesang is not a strictly unified narrative, but rather a collection ordered by the publisher, Tobias Haslinger, that flows from light, hopeful romanticism to existential despair.
Errollyn Wallen's The Lake is a 21st-century song cycle composed as a reflection on Schubert’s Schwanengesang. It was premiered in 2022 to showcase a contemporary take on classic song forms. Errollyn Wallen CBE is a…