PLEASE NOTE: THIS CONCERT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO STORM WARNINGS. A NEW DATE WILL BE ANNOUNCED.
Lenox — Baritone Philip Lima, accompanied by pianist Noah Palmer, will perform Franz Schubert’s song cycle “Winterreise” at Trinity Church, Lenox, on Sunday, February 16, at 3 p.m..
Schubert wrote the song cycle “Winterreise” (“Winter Journey”) in 1827, about a year before his death. He was suffering from the long-term effects of syphilis, so it is understandable that the music isn’t exactly cheerful. But if you are looking for truly abject despair, turn to the poet Wilhelm Müller, whose words inspired Schubert to reach new depths of melancholy. It is actually Müller’s emotion that is reflected in the dark and existential themes of “Winterreise.”
Its 24 songs for voice and piano follow a lone traveler on his journey through a bleak, wintry landscape after being rejected by his beloved. As he wanders, his emotional state shifts from despair to isolation and existential questioning, with the frigid winter scenery reflecting his hopelessness. Revered for its emotional depth and poetic power, “Winterreise” is considered one of the greatest achievements of classical song.
Philip Lima has sung leading operatic roles for the international Kurt Weill Festival in Germany, numerous regional American opera companies, and the Handel & Haydn Society in works ranging from Handel’s “Semele” and Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” to Saint-Saëns’ “Samson et Dalila”; from Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” and “Tosca” to Ullmann’s “Der Kaiser von Atlantis”; and from Barber’s “Vanessa” and Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” to and Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic classics “The Mikado” and “The Pirates of Penzance.” He has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops and over 70 orchestras, choral societies, and concert series across the United States and in Korea and Ukraine. A native of New Bedford, Mass., and an alumnus of Yale University, Mr. Lima studied at the Tanglewood Music Center and Boston University and is the assistant chair of Berklee College of Music’s Voice Department.
Noah Palmer is artistic director of the 80-voice Saratoga Voices, assistant director and accompanist for Albany Pro Musica, assistant conductor of Kinderhook’s Concerts in the Village, and artistic director of music at Trinity Lenox. His orchestral conducting debut came in 2015 with the Midwest Institute of Opera, and in 2018 he made his conducting debuts with both Concerts in the Village and Albany Pro Musica. Noah has led not only the aforementioned vocal ensembles but also the Battenkill Chorale, the Northern Berkshire Chorale, the Sage Singers, and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Chorus. In 2016, he served as chorus master for the Merola Opera Program with the San Francisco Opera. Palmer also works as a vocal coach with several regional opera companies, including Sarasota Opera and Opera North.
Locally, Mr. Palmer served in 2021 as principal coach and rehearsal pianist for Tom Cipullo’s “Glory Denied” at the Berkshire Opera Festival and in 2022 for BOF’s production of Jake Heggie’s “Three Decembers.” He has accompanied individual singers in the Capital Region, including Andrew Boisvert, Vedrana Kalas, Sylvia Stoner, Irina Petrik, the late Kevin Kees, and violinist Elizabeth Pitcairn at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Palmer was choral director at Skidmore College in spring 2021, leading the college’s two choral ensembles in a series of virtual performances during the pandemic. He also directed the Skidmore College Opera Workshop with soprano Sylvia Stoner. Palmer studied conducting with John Yaffe and Steve Osgood and participated in masterclasses with Markand Thakar, Christopher Zimmerman, Mark Gibson, and David Effron. His piano studies were with Jose Ramon Mendez at NYU (BA) and with Pavlina Dokovska at the Mannes School of Music (MM).
Hear baritone Philip Lima and pianist Noah Palmer perform Franz Schubert’s “Winterreise” at Trinity Church, 88 Walker St., Lenox, on Sunday, February 16, 3 p.m. The suggested donation is $35 at the door.
