Schubert’s last song compositions, written in 1828 just weeks before his death, were published posthumously under the title Schwanengesang. Although not conceived as a cycle, the 14 songs on poems by Ludwig Rellstab, Heinrich Heine, and Johann Gabriel Seidl do form a cohesive group. They make up the second half of the program presented at the Pierre Boulez Saal by tenor Mark Padmore and Kristian Bezuidenhout at the pianoforte. The first part is dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven, including his An die ferne Geliebte, the first ever song cycle, composed in 1816.

The Schubert Week was curated by Thomas Hampson.