Iris T. - Winterreise (2023) Hi-Res

How do you approach a classic of music history? How do you implement one and fill it with new life? Do you stay close to the original or do you transform it into something completely new? The Viennese singer Iris T. and her musical partner, the multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer Hans Zinkl, certainly asked themselves these questions when they decided to rework Franz Schubert's song cycle "Winterreise" for their third album together.
The idea of taking on such a task actually came about many, many years ago, even before the turn of the millennium, when Iris T. heard “Gute Nacht”, the first piece from “Winterreise”, for the first time. It was a moment of enchantment that she experienced at the time; she was immediately taken by Schubert's song cycle and imagined what it would actually sound like if it were played by a jazz band. An exciting thought that has stuck with the singer ever since this formative musical experience. But good things take time and so it took 25 years until the idea was actually realized in an album.
Anyone who is familiar with the previous joint work of Iris T. and Hans Zinkl can well imagine that the two did not just simply play back the songs. Already on their previous releases - such as their most recent album "Leighty Prey" (2017) - the duo joyfully deviated from all usual musical paths and created their very own sound language, which was, above all, characterized by an extremely great musical diversity and stylistic Openness. And it was precisely with this spirit that Iris T. and Hans Zinkl approached Schubert's music.
Describing your version of “Winterreise” in just a few words is not necessarily an easy task. Yes, you can recognize the melodies written by Franz Schubert, as well as the lyrics of the songs, both of which have only been changed minimally - Among other things, texts by Iris T. were only slightly “gendered” and adapted to the present. Otherwise, Franz Schubert's songs were musically completely reinterpreted. Especially when it comes to arrangements, instrumentation and stylistic breadth, the duo clearly did not subject themselves to any restrictions.
Together with their guests Maria Frodl (cello), Dominik Fuss (trumpet), Wolfram Derschmidt (bass) and Bern Rommel (drums), they transform the song cycle into a wonderfully colorful sound experience, the expression of which spans a wide variety of musical forms.
In short, one can say that Iris T. and Hans Zinkl have created a really beautiful reinterpretation of Schubert's “Winterreise”, one that really knows how to entertain and makes you listen to it again and again. (Michael Ternai/mica)