German-British baritone Benjamin Appl is one of a kind, though strongly influenced by the time he spent with legendary German Lieder master Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Appl himself calls this period invaluable, and it is quite clear where Appl gets his cultured style, the clear lyrics, the sincerity and the sense of drama in a song from.

The program features exclusively lieder set to poems by Heinrich Heine, a controversial figure in the German poetry landscape in the first half of the 19th century. Appl starts with works by Kagel, Schumann and Schubert. Appl has been called the greatest Schubert interpreter of his generation, and on this evening he sings from the collection 'Schwanengesang', which is one of the last of the composer's works. A beautiful and personal work with existential dystopian undertones.

Next up is an exciting collection of works by female composers such as the well-known Fanny Hensel (born Mendelssohn), Clara Schumann and Alma Mahler, as well as Ingeborg von Bronsart, Nadia Boulanger and Josephine Lang. The concert ends with Robert Schumann's 'Dichterliebe', which is one of the absolute highlights of lieder. Here, love, happiness and sorrow merge into a higher, more beautiful unity.