A youth tormented by futile love is hardly a rare premise, but Schubert’s settings of Wilhelm Müller’s tale of the young would-be miller, striding out into the world only to find it inhospitable, reach an astonishing level of poignancy. ‘To wander’ is the protagonist’s desire, but when he meets the eponymous beautiful daughter of his new employer, the miller, he is tongue-tied and only able to burst into tears, and must watch as the strapping huntsman wins her heart. His true companion is the bubbling brook into which he casts himself at the end, having passed through anger, loss and delusion.

We welcome back the baritone Ashley Riches, whose star continues to rise ever higher, for a performance of this masterful cycle.

This concert will be streamed completely live from the Holywell Music Room. Shortly afterwards, it will also be available to watch again (using the same ticket and link) until 1 November 2020.