Jessye Norman - A Portrait - Isoldes Liebestod (Wagner)

In flames my love..

Erlkonig

Erlkonig, one of the most successfull works of Schubert writen in 1815 inspired by the story of death of a child and supernatural forces beyond the reason from text by W. Goethe. It is right to say that the poem was inspired in experiences that Goethe had during his night walks after drinking in bars, many times seing a shadow following him and observing him very closely. He speaks about the delirium of sickness of a child that observs this dark being named Erlkonig taking him away to the abism on lost souls on his deadly arms.

Here I am attaching in my opinion one of my best versions of this Lied ( Schubert), curiously sung with female voice by Anne Sofie Von Otter. The lied requires to have skills of interpretation and full energy by splitting three different characters narrating the story. Schubert wrote the orchestral part in ostinato on the rhythmic pattern depicting movement on the scene (storm, ridding horses and premonition of a fatal sucess). I hope you guys enjoy this video as the same as I do.






http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=6382

Waves in Motion