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Though time and style separate these songs, they fit together seamlessly. Listen to the longing in Hoffman’s voice as he sings Lennon and McCartney’s “Yesterday” followed by Schubert’s “Im Frühling,” and you’ll see what I mean.

Kristina LynnHost

New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) presents the debut solo album of the rising star American baritone Theo Hoffman, a student of the late Sanford Sylvan and an alumnus of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, in an adventurous yet appealing program that pairs Schubert songs with Beatles songs (by Lennon-McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison) on similar themes.

Hoffman tells WFMT, “adventurous programming means the audience gets something they didn’t even know they wanted … We want the audience to shed their pre-conceived notions of both of these artists and just embrace that these are both some of the greatest musical storytellers of all time.”

The baritone’s collaborators include Grammy award-winning soprano Julia Bullock, tenor Andrew Owens, guitarist Rupert Boyd (for Schubert), guitarist Alex Levine (for the Beatles), pianist Kunal Lahiry, and NYFOS co-founder and pianist Steven Blier. The album is set to be released on January 31, the birthday of Franz Schubert.

Tracklist

John Lennon/Paul McCartney: “The Word”
John Lennon/Paul McCartney: “Here, There, and Everywhere”
Franz Schubert: Die Taubenpost, D. 965A
Franz Schubert: Alinde, D. 904
John Lennon/Paul McCartney: “Julia”
George Harrison: “Taxman”
Franz Schubert: An Schwager Kronos, D. 369
Franz Schubert: Licht und Liebe, D. 352
John Lennon/Paul McCartney: “If I Fell”
Franz Schubert: Der Wanderer an den Mond, D. 870
John Lennon/Paul McCartney: “She’s Leaving Home”
John Lennon/Paul McCartney: “Norwegian Wood”
George Harrison: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Franz Schubert: Du bist die Ruh, D. 776
John Lennon/Paul McCartney: “Yesterday”
Franz Schubert: Im Frühling, D. 882

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