Even if it starts with the folk-song text "To wander is the miller’s delight," Schubert's cycle Die schöne Müllerin is not a collection of innocuous traditional songs. Instead, we have before us possibly the most beautiful early Romantic opera, albeit in miniature format. A man breaks down because of unrequited love. This octet version combining string quartet, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, and horn, an ensemble invented by Schubert, paints the existential drama in even more vivid colors.
With German and English surtitles
