Thanks to a chance encounter aboard a train in distant Switzerland, a tenor and a pianist, virtuosos whose association had largely been limited to Facebook, are poised to perform a Franz Shubert masterpiece at Amarillo College.
Dr. Diego Caetano, a concert pianist and assistant professor of music at AC, will be joined Jan. 29 by prize-winning tenor Richard Resch of Germany for a presentation of Franz Schubert’s renowned song cycle Die Winterreise (Winter Journey).
The performance is an installment of AC’s Piano Series and begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the Concert Hall Theater on the Washington Street Campus.
The event is free and open to the public.
Both Caetano and Resch actively share their musical talents the world over, crossing paths only occasionally and connecting primarily through Facebook. When they unexpectedly ran into each other on the same European conveyance, they decided to collaborate on Die Winterreise.
“That was back in 2016,” Caetano said. “We had just been Facebook acquaintances, really, but running into each other seemed like fate or serendipity, so we thought why not plan a collaboration.
“It took a couple of years, but here we are at last,” Caetano said. “To perform Die Winterreise has been one of my dreams forever.”
Resch says the Schubert song cycle – the music is a setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller – represents a long, emotion-filled journey of unrequited love.
“It is a gift, a true blessing to be able to sing these songs,” Resch said. “This is an unforgettable, sad-but-beautiful piece of amazing music and we truly hope to make the best out of it, to touch the audience if even slightly.”
Resch has performed throughout Europe and also in China, Israel and Japan; however, this is his first visit to the United States.
“Growing up in Germany, there were a lot of American influences, like music and movies,” Resch said. “A lot of Americans live in Germany. So coming here for the first time is like stepping into a movie for me. So many things from childhood have suddenly become a reality. It is truly a thrill for me to be here.”
-Amarillo College
