A Winter's Journey

Following triumphant performances in Australia and the UK, Musica Viva Australia is thrilled to present A Winter’s Journey in 2026 in partnership with Opera Australia.

The wanderer bids farewell to his lover and steps out into the night. Why does he leave? Where is he going? We don't know. The journey is the thing.

Franz Schubert’s last song cycle, A Winter’s Journey, sets the poems of Wilhelm Müller as a landscape of emotions from loneliness to courage. Roadside features – a linden tree, an icy river, a malevolent crow – become characters in the drama, triggering old memories and new hope. And throughout it all, Schubert’s exquisite writing for voice and piano paints the emotional and physical surroundings in sound.

Internationally-acclaimed British tenor Allan Clayton and Australian pianist Kate Golla appear in a unique presentation of A Winter’s Journey. Director Lindy Hume maps the journey across a desolate terrain, while videographer David Bergman choreographs the scenery using the remarkable visions of Australian artist Fred Williams OBE to colour and illuminate this haunting atlas of the emotions.

'Fred Williams' entire output is a journey through the Australian landscape,' says Paul Kildea. 'And, just as Müller and Schubert redefine the individual, alone in nature, Williams helps us understand and re-imagine our vast terrain. The sun-beaten landscapes of Fred Williams offer no more comfort than the snowy panoramas evoked by Schubert and Müller. Instead, they celebrate the timelessness and universality of these artists’ great work.'