Singing with Maria
Presented in Dedication to Judith Neilson
In Celebration of Her Jubilee
AN EVENING
OF THE
SOUL
Franz Schubert's Winterreise, Op. 89
Saturday, 8th November 2025
6:00 PM
St Paul's Anglican Church
Burwood
Andrew Goodwin, tenor
Daniel de Borah, piano
a message to our audience
Tonight’s concert was conceived as An Evening of the Soul — a reflection on music’s power to reveal the light within us: its longing, beauty, and quiet strength. The program was originally created as a tribute to Judith Neilson, in celebration of her jubilee and in recognition of her vision, generosity, and enduring support for the arts. At its heart were new choral works by Andrew Goodwin — music of light, hope, and peace — presented for this occasion.
Although unforeseen circumstances have prevented the premiere of these new works, the essence of the evening remains unchanged. It continues as an offering of gratitude and illumination — a meditation on the ways music can console, transform, and bring us closer to the soul’s inner light.
In place of the planned choral premiere, we are privileged to present one of the most profound journeys ever written for voice and piano — Franz Schubert’s Winterreise (Op. 89, D. 911). This rare and deeply expressive performance, featuring Andrew Goodwin and Daniel de Borah, explores solitude, memory, and the enduring radiance that persists even in darkness.
As a gesture to the concert’s original spirit, the evening opens with one of Andrew Goodwin’s own compositions preserving a thread from the program first envisioned as a celebration of light and the human spirit.
Performed to great acclaim around the world by Andrew Goodwin and Daniel de Borah, Winterreise transforms tonight’s concert into a timeless dedication — a journey through shadow toward renewal, offered in honour of Judith Neilson’s jubilee and the luminous art that she continues to inspire.
Artists Bio
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Together they offer an experience that is both intimate and transcendent —
a true evening of the soul.
special guests
Zikang Sam Zhan
Piano
James Larsen
Cello
program
ANDREW GOODWIN Magic A
FRANZ SCHUBERT Winterreise
about the work
Schubert's Winterreise
Composed in 1827 to twenty-four poems by Wilhelm Müller, Winterreise (The Winter Journey) traces the emotional odyssey of a wanderer who sets out alone through a frozen landscape. His journey becomes an inward passage from hope to heartbreak, from love to loss, from the warmth of remembered joy to the cold silence of despair. As snow and shadow close around him, the world of human comfort falls away — yet within the desolation, there still glows a faint spark of life, fragile but unyielding.
Schubert wrote this cycle near the end of his short life, describing it as his most personal and heart-rending work. Each song is a world in miniature, charting the landscape of a soul stripped bare — its longing, its grief, its slow surrender to darkness. The final song, Der Leiermann, leaves the wanderer at the edge of life itself, face to face with a ghostly figure whose music is both death’s refrain and the echo of an indestructible spirit.
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In this stark winter vision, Schubert finds a strange and terrible beauty — light not as consolation, but as revelation. Winterreise becomes a meditation on the soul’s endurance: how even in the coldest night, a glimmer of humanity remains, flickering softly against the dark.
“These songs please me more than all the rest.”
— Franz Schubert, on Winterreise
winterreise
Op. 89 (D. 911) • Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
— INTERVAL —
a tribute to Judith Neilson
This performance is dedicated to Judith Neilson, whose generosity, vision, and lifelong devotion to the arts have profoundly shaped Australia’s cultural landscape. On the occasion of her jubilee, we honour her extraordinary contribution to the life of the arts and her enduring belief in their power to inspire, to console, and to illuminate the human spirit.
Her belief in the power of art — to reveal truth, to foster empathy, and to bring light to the human experience — continues to shape and enrich our shared cultural life.
As we journey through Schubert’s Winterreise, we honour Judith Neilson as a patron of the human spirit — one whose warmth and vision remind us that, even in the coldest winter, art can illuminate the soul and keep its fragile light alive.
with gratitude
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have joined us this evening, and to everyone whose generosity and support have made this concert possible.
Our sincere appreciation goes to those who embraced the original vision of An Evening of the Soul and to all who have helped bring its renewed form to life. Your contributions — through encouragement, collaboration, and donation — have sustained the spirit of this event.
Above all, we thank our audience for sharing in this night of music and reflection. Your presence affirms the enduring power of art to bring light, connection, and renewal.