Schubert Songs: The Beloved Colour

Alice Zawadzki – voice & Fred Thomas – piano

London, UK-based musicians Fred Thomas and Alice Zawadzki present a programme of Schubert Lieder, lovingly chosen from the early 19th Century Viennese composer’s 600-strong songbook. Their project takes inspiration from film-maker David Lynch’s maxim: having caught an idea, don’t let it go! As Fred describes, “We’re trying to access a simpler way – both ancient and contemporary – of delivering song, one that sidesteps assumptions and embraces music lovers of all kinds. With the sound intimately close to the listener, our innermost thoughts are exposed by the tiniest details; in this micro universe, nuances become earth-shattering. The songs do their work through virtuosities of sound, stillness and "psychology."

Taking inspiration from the Schubertiades (intimate concerts held at people’s homes) of 1820s Vienna, the duo treat Schubert’s songs as living and breathing compositions, available to everybody. Each Lied is adapted by Thomas, with tweaks of voicing and thematic emphasis, but remaining faithfully true to Schubert’s original.

Beloved favourites such as Death and the Maiden are reevaluated alongside lesser-known jewels, bringing to life the transformative Romantic poetry of Schubert’s young friends and contemporaries: Goethe, Müller, Schiller and many others. Long term collaborators, Fred and Alice have recorded numerous albums for ECM Records, including ‘Three or One’ and the recently released ‘Za Górami’.

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Street One | Reserved | Duration 70 Minutes
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Alice Zawadzki

Vocalist, violinist, and composer Alice Zawadzki is a distinctive presence on the European creative scene. Her rich musical background and “whimsical hyper-creativity” (MOJO Magazine) draw upon her early exposure to New Orleans jazz and gospel, a classical training as a violinist, and a continuous exploration of improvisation, poetry, and folk music from diverse traditions, “all propelled in a voice of velvet suppleness and gutsy emotional power” (The Arts Desk).

Fred Thomas

Fred Thomas is one of London’s most sought-after multi-instrumentalists and composer/arranger/producers, known for his breadth of musical styles as well as for specialising in creative re-interpretations of J.S. Bach. Fred has recorded a number of albums for ECM Records. His debut as a leader on the label was ‘Three or One’ (2021), a collection of 24 pieces by Bach that he transcribed for trio and solo piano and released to great critical acclaim. The album was described as “a revelation” (Apple Music), “mesmerising” (BBC Music Magazine) and “a world of soulful dreaming that enraptures with its poetic images” (Das Bach Magazin).