Take a winter journey of music and art

A unique collaboration of classical music and art will showcase the talents of Drouin couple Brian and Lucy Chapman together with Gippsland baritone Nathan Lay.

The collaboration, titled “Winter Journey”, consists of a concert at Wesley of Warragul on Sunday, May 23 at 2.30pm and an art exhibition at the West Gippsland Arts Centre, opening today and running to Friday, July 2.

Both are inspired by Franz Schubert’s song cycle “Winterreise” or “Winter Journey”.

The Warragul showcase follows Brian achieving a long-awaited goal of translating Schubert’s 24-part German poem of the song cycle to English.

He described the previous English translation as a sanitised version and “not an honest translation”.

“The poems are very dark because it’s the state of mind of a jilted lover,” said Brian, although he labelled it “a compelling and beautiful work of art”.

Brian, together with Nathan Lay, will feature this new English translation at the Wesley of Warragul recital.

The duo first performed this work together at ARC Yinnar in 2009. However, Brian has since added “a musical sting-in-the-tail” with two changes to the final 10 bars of the piano part.

Brian and Nathan first met through the West Gippsland Chorale.

“Franz Schubert’s ‘Winter Journey’ is widely regarded as the greatest of all song cycles for solo voice with piano, being claimed by some to be Schubert’s greatest work. The cycle takes around 75 minutes to perform and comprises settings of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller,” said Brian.

During the recital, each of the 24 songs will be complemented by projection of Lucy’s respective artwork from her “Winter Journey” collection.

Lucy’s exhibition of 24 botanical and avian paintings inspired by the 24 songs of “Winterreise” will also be at the West

Gippsland Arts Centre for the next two months. It is open for viewing weekdays from 9am to 5pm.

Lucy credits Brian’s English translation work for sparking her artistic inspiration.

Having purchased 24 canvases many years ago, Lucy said she didn’t know where to start and her inspiration fizzled out. However, after creating a project proposal as part of her Visual Arts degree, Lucy’s passion reignited, and this collection of art created in just nine months is the result.

Tickets to the Wesley of Warragul recital are $40 for adults, $35 for concession and free for students.

For further information, visit trybooking.com/BQAIF.