Wow! Jessye is TREMENDOUS! Her voice as a child is so heart-wrenching, and her Evil King is so scarrry!!! What a blood-chilling performance, not for children! BRAVISSIMA!
Incredibly powerful, the way she acts the 3 (4) different actors both in person and in voice is so gripping. Definitely my favorite recording (favorite part: 3:05 "mein Vater mein Vater, jetzt fasst er mich an...").
Schade dass die Qzualität dieses Playbigs so schlecht ist, aber wie Jessey die 4 Stimmen interpetiert - den Vater, den Sohn den Erlönig und den Erzähler ist wirlich von niemanden sonnst so unglaublich schön und eindrucksvoll gesungen worden. Diese Aufnahme sollte man aus Rücksicht an der Kunst jedoch besser löschen. Die Original Aufnahme erschiehn bei Phillipps.
incrivel ela consegue alem de expressão corporal, facial e sentimental sem contar tecnica ela é simplesmente perfeita nas trocas dos 4 timbre Pai, Filho, Narrador e Erlkönig (Rei dos Elfos)
wow... she's the best! i also love her performance of "dido's lament" in dido and aeneas. is she performing this song in a 4-way movie screen projector? how do they create the blue background?
Oh my god. I've never seen as powerful performance of Erlkönig as this one. I usually detest singers/players who look overly emotional, but this performance completely brought me to my knees. Amazing facial expressions!
In der Schule haben wir dieses Stück 6 Wochen lang analysiert und verschiedenste Vertonungen gehört. Gesungen haben es nur Männer. Das ist meiner Meinung nach auch gut so. Ich muss sagen, dass aufgrund der gesungenen Tonhöhe und übersteigerten Mimik die Interpretation des Werkes eher erheiternd als mitreißend war. Der Gesang klang stellenweise sehr gepresst, als koste das Singen viel Kraft. Schubert's Erlkönig-Vertonung sollte nur von Männern gesungen werden, bei Frauen klingt es nur lächerlich.
@LegolasArrow1 Sie haben das Lied angeblich zu Tode analysiert. Angeblich versteht ihr die deutsche Romantik nocht nicht. Der Goetische Tekst und die Schubertse Vertonung sind Hoehepunkte der Gattung des deutschen Liedes. Dass nur Maenner diese Lied interpretieren koennen ist natuerlich totaler Unsinn. Vergleichen Sie Heinrich Schlusnuss, Fischer Dieskau, Elly Ameling und Jessey Norman davon kann man lernen. Lieder soll man gefuehlsmaessig erfahren, Kunst kann man nie durch Analyse verstehen.
wow she has an AMAZING voice and the way that she can sing so deeply whilst still changing voices for the different characters is just phenomenal. i wish i could sing like that x')
She is one of the worlds greatest singers.Growing up in Augusta Ga.a relatively small town in the American south,she has gone on to grace some of the great stages of the world.Learning to sing in French,German,as well as her native English,just that I know of.She even sang La Marseillaise at the ceremony for the 200 anniversary of the French Revolution in Paris,what an honor.As well as Georges Delerue's "Hymn to Liberty" with what I would call the voice of an angel.
@tramkonto weil englisch die weltsprache ist und man sich für gewöhnlich im internet auf internationaler ebene auf englisch unterhält? wird es wohl das sein? nein?
I love Jessye Norman! I was there in Paris in 1989 when she sang the Marseilles and made me cry. She was an incredible opera singer who could move you with the beauty and power of her voice. Stop criticizing her here. She sings this marvelously. She speaks German perfectly & has sung Wagner & Strauss German roles (Sieglende, Brunhilde, Kundry, Ariadne, Salome)...no one utter one bad word against her, she's a goddess of the opera...
@mayo0di0niero: Don't think about those people - they have never achived anything in life, therefore they have to talk like that. Jessye Norman is beyond any doubt anyway, but her German singing is very good indeed.
absolutely fantastic. i am learning to sing opera and i am a black woman. you racists out there, i will be singing in german, french and italian and i will be posting myself all over youtube. and you may call me whatever the hell you like.
I think this is fantastic. HOWEVER -- as ever, the pianist not only is not shown, but is not even named! This is one of the most difficult vocal accompaniments, which takes an amazing piano technique to master.
as a German speaking person who has no problem with understanding this text, thanks to school also know that poem still by heart, her facial acting is actually quite fitting. I enjoyed watching and listening to her very much.
@Sechmut though I don't speak German, I have read the translation of the poam, and you are more then right... her facial acting - though a bit spooky ;) - are very fitting.
@Sechmut Are you American or Canadian? I ask because I thought that this wonderful langauge was no longee taught out side of maybe a few elite research universities. I was blessed enough to have an expert German teacher in High School here in Southern California, of all places, and she taught us to enjoy the language of Goether and Hayek and Freud.
The German language is great and I am glad to see other people from the Anglophone who have learned and enjoyed this very rich and deep tongue.
ever since i heard this in my music class i loved it, its even on my mp3 cause it tells a dramatic but sad story of a boy dying and seeing this demon who is trying to lure him into the darkness of death but the father is trying to console him even though he does not see what the boy sees, it really makes me feel all those things, fear, sadness, sympathy, even the demons sly conning ways. trying to make the boy feel like where he is going will be great with everything he has ever dreamed of
She is acting three dramatic parts! As the accompaniment suggests--the song involves horror and consoling, etc. Fabulous interpretation!!! Incredible technique.
I tend not to enjoy performances of Erlkönig that are dry and sung with the passion of a Borg Aria (sorry for the bad reference, but I couldn't think of another way to say it.) I enjoyed the multi personality disorder! :) The facial expressions really helped to tell the story. Unfortunately, I can't say I had an appreciation for Peter Kogler's "contribution." but, thanks for the post, Cashmerequeen!!!
Yup, anyone who thinks this is overdone does not know what it means to be an artist, with perfect diction, with perfect expression, who is perfectly interpreting a magnificent work and pulling out all the stops - no inside the box performance here. Brava brava - viva Jessye!
It is a story of a boy dying with fever and his dad is holding him while riding on horseback to get him medical attention but while riding the elf king comes and tries to persuade the boy to come with him (the same as telling someone to go towards the white light while they are dying) by telling him all these glorious things but the boy does not understand. The boys father tries to tell him everything will be ok. By the time they arrive at the courtyard the boy has died.
@xoxoMandieRosexoxo Make that four different characters. Remember the narrator, a sort of Shakespearean chorus setting the scene and explaining what happened after the Erlking touched the child.
I think her "dramatic" acting style is in aid of the fact that this song was intended for a baritone voice, which lends itself to various timbres, tessituras and dynamic levels to great effect. Jessye Norman has a superb voice and range, but lacking the male falsetto and deep chest voice of a bass/baritone, she is making this song her "property" by working the drama. It was very convincing for me...
She's great, it's this video that's terrible.I mean, c'mon, you can see the camera crew the whole time, and what's with the background? I love her voice, though!
People who think it's 'overacted' need to understand this masterwork of German literature was written in a time when you could only perform by daylight or torchlight in mirrored sconces. There were no microphones. There were only even opera glasses for the well-off. To get the story and characters out, they use operatic singing, which is by nature 'big' and loud. Also, some of that style is called 'melodrama'; that wasn't always just a thing to insult someone with for their histrionics.
Jesse Norman's performance of "Das Erlkonig " is one of the finest performances of "Das Erlkonig" I have ever seen or heard. It is ideal that she is an opera singer so that she could bring out the 4 roles that she must sing. Most people forget that this is one of Schubert's most dramatic lieders. It is really the equivalent of an operatic aria without the costumes and scenery. E. Harrison Gordon, Nubian Conservatory, Brooklyn,N.Y.
@sweetestcandy083109 I complete agree with you and @babs22h she's portraying 3 roles in one song one being a goblin, one being a father trying to save his dying son and the other a child hysterical from fever. The whole situation is pretty dramatic!
@cerabeara26 It wasn't hysterical fever... demons of the knight stole the childs soul and his father didn't listen to him because he wasn't superstitious
@baroh2413 The text doesn't outright say it was a hysterical fever, but look at the lyrics. The father is racing to town on a horse, and the son is saying all these really weird things, about seeing the goblin king, and his offers to come with him, and the father telling his son that everything is fine. The father isn't just out for a stroll, he's rushing to a doctor because his son is so sick that he's seeing a monster, when they get to town, it's too late - the kid died of the fever.
@LiliKoblentz I know... it's a classic theme in psychological horrorstories. Are there supernatural powers at stake or is it the human mind? In this case: is it demons of the night or is the child hallucinating because he is dying? or is it both? (Paranormal Activity, Anti-Christ, Don't Look Now, The Haunting etc)
Very nice performance. Fascinating indeed. I like her dramatic rendition very much. As for overacting, if one does it as superb and true to the text and the music as she does it here, it is not just commendable but obligatory. The music is extremely dramatic and the story is supernatural but also tragic.
The video, however, is rather hideous. The background is ridiculous and the constant shaking of camera is positively distracting. Pity.
@Thedrewsiff Then you'll have to look for another video, because this song was intended to be sung in G minor, and not in F sharp minor as in this video.
Every pianist who plays this f***ing octave study would sing the last phrase as "Das Kind und meine Arme sind tot !"
Anyway, a great perfance, what else ?
Why is there no poor pig at the piano visible ? What are over-paid singers without muchly under-paid and not bold-printed pianists who play such stuff for them ?
Its hilarious reading peoples' comments about her performance being "overacted" and "overdramatic". The story she is retelling is FANTASTIC in nature.... it IS an odd/remarkable tale! Her acting SHOULD be heightened in my opinion... shes not singing about daisies and pretty spring days... Shes expressing the horror of a child that does not understand why or how this goblin is talking to him... How scary that would be for a child? For anyone? I think her acting is spot on...
@Babs22h I agree....especially when you know the story behind the music. She acts out every character very well both physically, emotionally, and most importantly, vocally! i love Jessye!!
@Babs22h I can't agree more!! Her acting is superb! Even if you don't understand the lyrics you can definitely tell the difference between the characters and their emotions! You can always tell who she is at that moment!! Her emotions and actions relay the feeling and emotion to the audience!
@Babs22h I so agree with you. She expresses the story and feeling perfectly. Why should one always be beautiful? It doesn't matter that she may not have a particular pretty face or something like that (with which I don't agree btw), she's an amazing performer.
@Babs22h it is her interpreation that is hilarious. this is lied and not opera, without a scene.E.G her expression right at the beginning "es ist der vater mit seinem kind" is already completely overdone, she's saying "it's the father with his child".means she is just telling who the protagonists are. theres no reason to put as much emphasis in that as if it were just as dramatic as the ending, where one of the protagonists dies. if i'd see her doing this in concert, i'd burst out in laughter!
@failsworthpole And you have authority on this subject because why?? Her acting is a fantastic testament to her true understanding of this INCREDIBLE story. Really....its fantastic!
I don´t like the "mise en scene" very much, but Jessye Norman´s interpretation of the different characters in this song is outstanding!
It´s a Great Pleasure to hear her also performing other German Songs. Her "Im Abendrot" from R.Strauss -4 last songs, is to my taste and view hardly to top....
This is not a good version - Erlkönig is not conform with a women´s voice - in her face, her moves .... uäh, i hate this. Looks just stupid. I get sick of that.
Horrible interpretation. When she looks into the cam at 3:05-3:20 ... Jesus, that looks so ... she should concentrate at singing, WITH FEELINGS, that are conform with the Text!
- Der Höhepunkt "Erlkönig hat mir ein Leid getan" kommt hier gar nicht rüber, nicht die geringste Gänsehaut. Anstatt die Finger zu verkrampfen sollte sich die Dame lieber auf das Singen konzentrieren.
@ttoby12 Even if, better uglyness outside, than depravity inside. I really was doubting if I should pay attention to you post. The kind of your ppl polarize too much, and I gues that's what keeps you alive.
The video is beautiful. (but the background isn't well chosen in my humble opinion^^)
She is so amazing. Not only is she pedagogic perfection, but her characterizations are so clear and spot on. She already has the crazy eyes that are perfect for the erlkonig. CRAZY EYE!
Am I the only person who thinks her voice totally does not match her looks? Amazing range though. Not many people can differentiate the characters of the song as effectively as she does
Tolle Sängerin keine Frage, auch die Aussprache finde ich phänomenal gut. Gestern kam im WDR eine Dokumentation über sie, sehr interessant.
Was mich jedoch stört ist die Tatsache, dass bei allen Videos mit solchen Rauminstallationen jede Spur vom Pianisten bzw. Orchester fehlt und noch nicht mal der Name des grade bei Schubert unglaublich wichtigen "Begleiters" angezeigt wird, es handelt sich hier um Kammermusik, das Zusammenspiel ist enorm wichtig, auch bei einer solchen Berühmtheit.
She's great as the little boy, very good as the father, but the fairy king isn't beautiful enough -- he needs to be simultaneously charming, seductive, fascinating, and brutal. That's what makes hte song so great. Kipnis and Fischer Dieskau are really good at the king, esp Kipnis, who bares his fangs at "so brauch ich Gewalt."
She sings it well - she's good at getting the child's terror across - but the fussy staging and direction in this intensely dramatic song are unnecessary. Well sung (and accompanied) this song needs nothing beyond itself.
gruselig und dramatisch soll es doch auch sein, bis jetzt ist sie die beste Sängerin, sie bringt es einfach perfekt. Alleine schon die einzelnen Rollen die sie identisch interpretiert. Einfach genial.
A powerful game and not comic play, I think she not overplays, it has evolved in these three characters and the narrator, she is a Goddess!!!
Nikytushka92 3 days ago
3:52 Far toot xDDD
lilly2874 3 days ago
Here's a better quality version: watch?v=8noeFpdfWcQ
cire9984 2 weeks ago in playlist More videos from cashmerequeen
Wow! Jessye is TREMENDOUS! Her voice as a child is so heart-wrenching, and her Evil King is so scarrry!!! What a blood-chilling performance, not for children! BRAVISSIMA!
CiboCeleste 2 weeks ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Black people shouldn't sing classical music.
FJKowz 3 weeks ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Incredibly powerful, the way she acts the 3 (4) different actors both in person and in voice is so gripping. Definitely my favorite recording (favorite part: 3:05 "mein Vater mein Vater, jetzt fasst er mich an...").
cire9984 3 weeks ago
Comment removed
cire9984 3 weeks ago
Schade dass die Qzualität dieses Playbigs so schlecht ist, aber wie Jessey die 4 Stimmen interpetiert - den Vater, den Sohn den Erlönig und den Erzähler ist wirlich von niemanden sonnst so unglaublich schön und eindrucksvoll gesungen worden. Diese Aufnahme sollte man aus Rücksicht an der Kunst jedoch besser löschen. Die Original Aufnahme erschiehn bei Phillipps.
Whaleshark69 1 month ago
Jessye Norman is unsurpassed. Stunning performance.
bcg72 1 month ago
I truly didn't think that this piece could be performed well by a female vocalist.
I was wrong! She's brilliant!
Ferrariman601 2 months ago
incrivel ela consegue alem de expressão corporal, facial e sentimental sem contar tecnica ela é simplesmente perfeita nas trocas dos 4 timbre Pai, Filho, Narrador e Erlkönig (Rei dos Elfos)
incrivelmente perfeita
ValterVioLinist 2 months ago
wow... she's the best! i also love her performance of "dido's lament" in dido and aeneas. is she performing this song in a 4-way movie screen projector? how do they create the blue background?
TreblemakerDee80 2 months ago 2
Damn, now that's a voice.
durkadurka91 2 months ago
Jessye Norman has been the best German songs singer in America. Her German is perfect.
Frances6889 2 months ago
Oh my god. I've never seen as powerful performance of Erlkönig as this one. I usually detest singers/players who look overly emotional, but this performance completely brought me to my knees. Amazing facial expressions!
belegSJ 2 months ago
This just perfect. Her voice, her interpretation, how she changes her whole voice to suit the characters here.
jewelmarkess 2 months ago
In der Schule haben wir dieses Stück 6 Wochen lang analysiert und verschiedenste Vertonungen gehört. Gesungen haben es nur Männer. Das ist meiner Meinung nach auch gut so. Ich muss sagen, dass aufgrund der gesungenen Tonhöhe und übersteigerten Mimik die Interpretation des Werkes eher erheiternd als mitreißend war. Der Gesang klang stellenweise sehr gepresst, als koste das Singen viel Kraft. Schubert's Erlkönig-Vertonung sollte nur von Männern gesungen werden, bei Frauen klingt es nur lächerlich.
LegolasArrow1 3 months ago 2
@LegolasArrow1 Sie haben das Lied angeblich zu Tode analysiert. Angeblich versteht ihr die deutsche Romantik nocht nicht. Der Goetische Tekst und die Schubertse Vertonung sind Hoehepunkte der Gattung des deutschen Liedes. Dass nur Maenner diese Lied interpretieren koennen ist natuerlich totaler Unsinn. Vergleichen Sie Heinrich Schlusnuss, Fischer Dieskau, Elly Ameling und Jessey Norman davon kann man lernen. Lieder soll man gefuehlsmaessig erfahren, Kunst kann man nie durch Analyse verstehen.
friedel03 3 months ago
@LegolasArrow1 muss ja ne geile schule gewesen sein
kurzausziehbar 2 months ago
This is seriously perfect. She does this song incredibly well
TeressaAmyNicole 3 months ago 3
omg EXCELLENT
mjayoutlaw 3 months ago
wow she has an AMAZING voice and the way that she can sing so deeply whilst still changing voices for the different characters is just phenomenal. i wish i could sing like that x')
charisbearyay 4 months ago 3
@charisbearyay Yes. Lots of people would love to be able to sing like that including many opera singers even famous ones.
jewelmarkess 2 months ago
охренеть!
leonvi1978 4 months ago
She is for sure one of my favorite singers who sang this song!!! Love her!!! =D
sallychan213 4 months ago
She is one of the worlds greatest singers.Growing up in Augusta Ga.a relatively small town in the American south,she has gone on to grace some of the great stages of the world.Learning to sing in French,German,as well as her native English,just that I know of.She even sang La Marseillaise at the ceremony for the 200 anniversary of the French Revolution in Paris,what an honor.As well as Georges Delerue's "Hymn to Liberty" with what I would call the voice of an angel.
AXS512 4 months ago
I don't know about you, but i would get sick sitting in that thing.
ravenwda007 5 months ago
Dar Ausdruck , die Intonation der Wechsel zwischen den Karakteren ist einfach mitreißend!Beeindruckend.
superashii hyoujou
TuwaLiking 5 months ago
Comment removed
TuwaLiking 5 months ago
warum hat es hier keine deutschen kommentare?
tramkonto 5 months ago
@tramkonto weil englisch die weltsprache ist und man sich für gewöhnlich im internet auf internationaler ebene auf englisch unterhält? wird es wohl das sein? nein?
HolgerLovesMusic 5 months ago
@HolgerLovesMusic
mag sein, denoch ist es ein deutsches gedicht das auch auf deutsch vorgetragen wird also ist meine frage meiner meinung nach berechtigt
tramkonto 5 months ago
this is a miniature opera starring an amazing woman who plays 3 male roles brilliantly.
verdew8181 5 months ago
!!!
verdew8181 5 months ago
I love Jessye Norman! I was there in Paris in 1989 when she sang the Marseilles and made me cry. She was an incredible opera singer who could move you with the beauty and power of her voice. Stop criticizing her here. She sings this marvelously. She speaks German perfectly & has sung Wagner & Strauss German roles (Sieglende, Brunhilde, Kundry, Ariadne, Salome)...no one utter one bad word against her, she's a goddess of the opera...
OperaMystery80 5 months ago
@mayo0di0niero: Don't think about those people - they have never achived anything in life, therefore they have to talk like that. Jessye Norman is beyond any doubt anyway, but her German singing is very good indeed.
arnoldhau1 6 months ago
absolutely fantastic. i am learning to sing opera and i am a black woman. you racists out there, i will be singing in german, french and italian and i will be posting myself all over youtube. and you may call me whatever the hell you like.
mayo0di0niero 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Bauhau, nigger trying to speak an aryan language like German.
ShishiSonson 6 months ago
I think this is fantastic. HOWEVER -- as ever, the pianist not only is not shown, but is not even named! This is one of the most difficult vocal accompaniments, which takes an amazing piano technique to master.
psforrest1 6 months ago
Listen to countertenor David DQ Lee sing this, he is AMAZING!!!!!!!!
allthenamesrtook 7 months ago
as a German speaking person who has no problem with understanding this text, thanks to school also know that poem still by heart, her facial acting is actually quite fitting. I enjoyed watching and listening to her very much.
Sechmut 7 months ago 35
@Sechmut though I don't speak German, I have read the translation of the poam, and you are more then right... her facial acting - though a bit spooky ;) - are very fitting.
and really, wow... just... wow.
myself30035 2 months ago
@Sechmut Are you American or Canadian? I ask because I thought that this wonderful langauge was no longee taught out side of maybe a few elite research universities. I was blessed enough to have an expert German teacher in High School here in Southern California, of all places, and she taught us to enjoy the language of Goether and Hayek and Freud.
The German language is great and I am glad to see other people from the Anglophone who have learned and enjoyed this very rich and deep tongue.
Rexanglorum 1 month ago
@Rexanglorum I am a native speaker.
Sechmut 1 month ago
@Rexanglorum You would be surprised. In Montreal, i have german classes. And my teacher is coming from Germany. He is a pretty good teacher.
fridaythethirteenfan 1 month ago
@Sechmut I study german and i understand too... But we learned this text... IN MY FRENCH CLASS!!! That's pretty strange...
fridaythethirteenfan 1 month ago
EXCELLENT one of the best renditions I have heard. Makes me think of Grace Jones' Corporate Cannibal... :D
AfroPoli 7 months ago
ever since i heard this in my music class i loved it, its even on my mp3 cause it tells a dramatic but sad story of a boy dying and seeing this demon who is trying to lure him into the darkness of death but the father is trying to console him even though he does not see what the boy sees, it really makes me feel all those things, fear, sadness, sympathy, even the demons sly conning ways. trying to make the boy feel like where he is going will be great with everything he has ever dreamed of
nikamaal 7 months ago
@nikamaal I just like it because of the music. It has some pretty cool progressions.
SecondAgeOfReason 7 months ago
Wish they would have shown at least one shot of the pianist in this! It's such a grueling part!!
gwyn15 7 months ago
what a precise pronounciation, I'm impressed.
wintypes 7 months ago
grandiosa!!!!!
VL2891 8 months ago
She is acting three dramatic parts! As the accompaniment suggests--the song involves horror and consoling, etc. Fabulous interpretation!!! Incredible technique.
bonnies1234567 8 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I really wanna give a terror to her face -_- if i could. she would better to be an actress... what a ugly face... it's making me stomache
Techmaninoff 8 months ago
@Techmaninoff What are you, 12?
BrokenPiecesOfHeart 8 months ago
it's nothing but the gag
Techmaninoff 8 months ago
I love her voice, and her expression; the wild camera and distracting background I really would rather have done without.
1violaplayr 8 months ago
i didn't think a woman can embody the intensity of this piece, but she proved me very wrong.
fuchion15 8 months ago
I tend not to enjoy performances of Erlkönig that are dry and sung with the passion of a Borg Aria (sorry for the bad reference, but I couldn't think of another way to say it.) I enjoyed the multi personality disorder! :) The facial expressions really helped to tell the story. Unfortunately, I can't say I had an appreciation for Peter Kogler's "contribution." but, thanks for the post, Cashmerequeen!!!
MrDanielBrisk 8 months ago
thats so cool its like she has multi personality disorder
yummyellens 8 months ago
she looks like she is having a stroke
theehumanshield 9 months ago
wow incredible
sonneymoore7 9 months ago
great voice!
imastupidone04 9 months ago
Beautiful Voice... Bravo!!!
bachgod 9 months ago
gross
HitlersWetDream 9 months ago
Beautiful rendition, all the characters and emotions are very well portrayed. She is such a beautiful woman and a great actress, too.
gkopij 10 months ago
Sie singt ein gutes Deutsch und entwickelt am besten die romantike Tragoedie,die das Lied bedeutet.Meisterwerk.
saverioorlando 10 months ago
ALIEN!
774434 10 months ago
Wow her range is impressive.
mtotheHo 10 months ago 15
@mtotheHo sure it's "just enormous " :)
Maralegar2009 2 months ago
damn that lady is ugly. good job though
johnsw224 10 months ago
Yup, anyone who thinks this is overdone does not know what it means to be an artist, with perfect diction, with perfect expression, who is perfectly interpreting a magnificent work and pulling out all the stops - no inside the box performance here. Brava brava - viva Jessye!
danmcglaun1 11 months ago 2
Some people here are overreacting about her overacting...
Uushilumbu79 11 months ago 4
It is a story of a boy dying with fever and his dad is holding him while riding on horseback to get him medical attention but while riding the elf king comes and tries to persuade the boy to come with him (the same as telling someone to go towards the white light while they are dying) by telling him all these glorious things but the boy does not understand. The boys father tries to tell him everything will be ok. By the time they arrive at the courtyard the boy has died.
NubainPrincess 11 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Absolutely terrible.
equinoxranch 11 months ago
She plays the three different characters SO well- she's amazing!
xoxoMandieRosexoxo 11 months ago 2
@xoxoMandieRosexoxo
four actually: Erzähler, Vater, Sohn and Erlkönig :)
jajaiopetja 10 months ago
@xoxoMandieRosexoxo Make that four different characters. Remember the narrator, a sort of Shakespearean chorus setting the scene and explaining what happened after the Erlking touched the child.
5610winston 5 months ago
voll gut! :)
suupergirly 11 months ago
I think her "dramatic" acting style is in aid of the fact that this song was intended for a baritone voice, which lends itself to various timbres, tessituras and dynamic levels to great effect. Jessye Norman has a superb voice and range, but lacking the male falsetto and deep chest voice of a bass/baritone, she is making this song her "property" by working the drama. It was very convincing for me...
lumpfish54 1 year ago
She's great, it's this video that's terrible.I mean, c'mon, you can see the camera crew the whole time, and what's with the background? I love her voice, though!
o8thmsmunchieman 1 year ago
I'm not crazy about her German, but her voice is simply majestic!
arturesteve 1 year ago
My son had to analyze this in music theory class. Aren't you glad you asked.
circusitch 1 year ago
She knows what she's at, folks.
Robinorgan 1 year ago
she did a superb job!
BillieBaby143 1 year ago
People who think it's 'overacted' need to understand this masterwork of German literature was written in a time when you could only perform by daylight or torchlight in mirrored sconces. There were no microphones. There were only even opera glasses for the well-off. To get the story and characters out, they use operatic singing, which is by nature 'big' and loud. Also, some of that style is called 'melodrama'; that wasn't always just a thing to insult someone with for their histrionics.
inschl 1 year ago
Jesse Norman's performance of "Das Erlkonig " is one of the finest performances of "Das Erlkonig" I have ever seen or heard. It is ideal that she is an opera singer so that she could bring out the 4 roles that she must sing. Most people forget that this is one of Schubert's most dramatic lieders. It is really the equivalent of an operatic aria without the costumes and scenery. E. Harrison Gordon, Nubian Conservatory, Brooklyn,N.Y.
NubianConservatory1 1 year ago
A great performance!
rubberduckization 1 year ago
@sweetestcandy083109 I complete agree with you and @babs22h she's portraying 3 roles in one song one being a goblin, one being a father trying to save his dying son and the other a child hysterical from fever. The whole situation is pretty dramatic!
cerabeara26 1 year ago
@cerabeara26 It wasn't hysterical fever... demons of the knight stole the childs soul and his father didn't listen to him because he wasn't superstitious
baroh2413 1 year ago
@baroh2413 The text doesn't outright say it was a hysterical fever, but look at the lyrics. The father is racing to town on a horse, and the son is saying all these really weird things, about seeing the goblin king, and his offers to come with him, and the father telling his son that everything is fine. The father isn't just out for a stroll, he's rushing to a doctor because his son is so sick that he's seeing a monster, when they get to town, it's too late - the kid died of the fever.
LiliKoblentz 10 months ago 2
@LiliKoblentz I know... it's a classic theme in psychological horrorstories. Are there supernatural powers at stake or is it the human mind? In this case: is it demons of the night or is the child hallucinating because he is dying? or is it both? (Paranormal Activity, Anti-Christ, Don't Look Now, The Haunting etc)
baroh2413 10 months ago 2
Video 8noeFpdfWcQ
shows the same clip from the portrait by André Heller, but in good quality.
gpermant 1 year ago
Sound and video quality are deplorable, and serve Jessye Norman and her music badly.
gpermant 1 year ago
Story:
A little boy is sick, his father carries him on his horse. The son imagines he sees the "erlking", a spirit with a cown and a tail.
The father replies just a shadow. When we get home, we will play games. Father, do you know what the erlking is saying? Calm, says father.
My daughters will rock you to sleep. My father, do you not see the erlkings daiughters? I do. They are the willows.
My father he's grabbing me now. He holds the moaning child in his arms. The child dies.
SugarTomAppleRoger 1 year ago
Very nice performance. Fascinating indeed. I like her dramatic rendition very much. As for overacting, if one does it as superb and true to the text and the music as she does it here, it is not just commendable but obligatory. The music is extremely dramatic and the story is supernatural but also tragic.
The video, however, is rather hideous. The background is ridiculous and the constant shaking of camera is positively distracting. Pity.
Spiritakis 1 year ago
She does the "characters" so well!! She is outstanding!!
jdubbari 1 year ago
She's crazy good!!
TheBrownBaron 1 year ago
Let's all just enjoy the piece as it was intended. No arguments.
Thedrewsiff 1 year ago
@Thedrewsiff Then you'll have to look for another video, because this song was intended to be sung in G minor, and not in F sharp minor as in this video.
Schamschi 1 year ago
@ LordPlucky : Ah ! That's it ! Thank you for explanation. Now it's getting clear to me. You must be a true authority !
Mezzopianofortist 1 year ago
Every pianist who plays this f***ing octave study would sing the last phrase as "Das Kind und meine Arme sind tot !"
Anyway, a great perfance, what else ?
Why is there no poor pig at the piano visible ? What are over-paid singers without muchly under-paid and not bold-printed pianists who play such stuff for them ?
The world is NOT fair !
Mezzopianofortist 1 year ago
@Mezzopianofortist
Number of pianists that can play this piece: Somewhere in the thousands
Number of singers who can sing it like it was meant to be sung: Somewhere in the dozens
circle takes square, you lose
LordPlucky 1 year ago
this is too funny!
CullenGandyTenor 1 year ago
shes one of the best female opera singers in the world
lapopcandy10 1 year ago 3
WHAT IS WRONG WITH U PPL gosh its a performace i dont see yall doing this
this woman as talent real talent look doesnt have ANY THING TO TO WITH IT
black or white American or german GENEDER male or female...Shit ppl make
me sick sometimes
lapopcandy10 1 year ago 2
What's wrong with her ? She looks possessed... And this song is supposed to be played by a man
FuckinAnonymous 1 year ago
Its hilarious reading peoples' comments about her performance being "overacted" and "overdramatic". The story she is retelling is FANTASTIC in nature.... it IS an odd/remarkable tale! Her acting SHOULD be heightened in my opinion... shes not singing about daisies and pretty spring days... Shes expressing the horror of a child that does not understand why or how this goblin is talking to him... How scary that would be for a child? For anyone? I think her acting is spot on...
Babs22h 1 year ago 134
@Babs22h I agree completely, maybe they don´t have a clue, what this is about. She is one of the best interpreters of this song ever.
cantanteporsiempre 1 year ago
@Babs22h I agree....especially when you know the story behind the music. She acts out every character very well both physically, emotionally, and most importantly, vocally! i love Jessye!!
sweetestcandy083109 1 year ago
@Babs22h I can't agree more!! Her acting is superb! Even if you don't understand the lyrics you can definitely tell the difference between the characters and their emotions! You can always tell who she is at that moment!! Her emotions and actions relay the feeling and emotion to the audience!
scuzmunkie 1 year ago
@Babs22h You're right, this piece is over-the-top by definition! You can't overdo it!
lispectorando 10 months ago
@Babs22h I so agree with you. She expresses the story and feeling perfectly. Why should one always be beautiful? It doesn't matter that she may not have a particular pretty face or something like that (with which I don't agree btw), she's an amazing performer.
EmmaWatsonStar 7 months ago 3
@Babs22h it is her interpreation that is hilarious. this is lied and not opera, without a scene.E.G her expression right at the beginning "es ist der vater mit seinem kind" is already completely overdone, she's saying "it's the father with his child".means she is just telling who the protagonists are. theres no reason to put as much emphasis in that as if it were just as dramatic as the ending, where one of the protagonists dies. if i'd see her doing this in concert, i'd burst out in laughter!
Fagottissima 5 months ago
She belongs in a clinic for overacting.
failsworthpole 1 year ago
@failsworthpole And you have authority on this subject because why?? Her acting is a fantastic testament to her true understanding of this INCREDIBLE story. Really....its fantastic!
mwdot12 1 year ago
Is that the lady who pops her eyes out from Guiness World Records?
fnog9 1 year ago 2
Total Recall
MrGriffinBird 1 year ago
Total Recall
MrGriffinBird 1 year ago
great !! one of the best exentric person opera singer
zairared 1 year ago
what for a wunderfull voice!!!!
=)
MrsGurkensalat 1 year ago
She should concentrate on singing and not on overacting. Horrible!
Hansetranse 1 year ago
she is fantastic!
invictum01 1 year ago
I don´t like the "mise en scene" very much, but Jessye Norman´s interpretation of the different characters in this song is outstanding!
It´s a Great Pleasure to hear her also performing other German Songs. Her "Im Abendrot" from R.Strauss -4 last songs, is to my taste and view hardly to top....
putzilutzi 1 year ago 2
This is not a good version - Erlkönig is not conform with a women´s voice - in her face, her moves .... uäh, i hate this. Looks just stupid. I get sick of that.
Horrible interpretation. When she looks into the cam at 3:05-3:20 ... Jesus, that looks so ... she should concentrate at singing, WITH FEELINGS, that are conform with the Text!
Grima21 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@Grima21 why do you continue to watch things you hate for 3:20?
veronicahayworth 1 year ago
she looks like a damn alien with a wig
BlahChab 1 year ago
wooooow... she is just the best...
Kyrios79 1 year ago 2
@Kyrios79 She's one of the most brilliant opera singers ever!
arpeggio1358 1 year ago 3
Amazing voice though scary facial expressions. The only way i can listen to it is if i dont watch. I wish i had her voice though. Very great
rebabe123456789 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
She will be forgotten like Leontyne Price
tenorismo 1 year ago
- Der Höhepunkt "Erlkönig hat mir ein Leid getan" kommt hier gar nicht rüber, nicht die geringste Gänsehaut. Anstatt die Finger zu verkrampfen sollte sich die Dame lieber auf das Singen konzentrieren.
Grima21 1 year ago
Die Version von Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau ist um Welten besser! - mir wird auch eher übel wenn ich die Grimassen sehe und den drehenden Hintergrund.
Grima21 1 year ago
racists GTFO
enekt 1 year ago
great voice.
but it looks like she doesn't understand what she is singing sometimes...
e.g. dramatic face when she sings "i love you"
BeyondOrwell 1 year ago
Beautiful performance, Though she‘s American her pronunciation is perfect !
tomibic 1 year ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
She should have stayed in the fields. Yikes!!! What a pathetic performance. She looks uglier than a beaten ape.
ttoby12 1 year ago
@ttoby12
^ This.
Fgsfgswut 1 year ago
@ttoby12
-.- I wish the racists on youtube would stay on the racist videos and leave the music videos alone.
insaneforstuff254 1 year ago 43
@ttoby12 Even if, better uglyness outside, than depravity inside. I really was doubting if I should pay attention to you post. The kind of your ppl polarize too much, and I gues that's what keeps you alive.
The video is beautiful. (but the background isn't well chosen in my humble opinion^^)
Therockfan90 1 year ago
That was possibly the scariest thing i've ever watched...the eyes.....THEY'RE GOING TO EAT ME
blooper631 1 year ago
Beautiful woman and great performance.
eliezer017 1 year ago
Grandios, habe die 4 Personen noch nie so gut umgesetzt gehört! Wunderbar, wie diese Frau dies hinbekommt.
peidaer 1 year ago
I love this video
bellareina05 1 year ago
amazing vocal range is no lie
CaLbaTr00se 1 year ago
Ihre Mimik jagt mir Angst ein .. Trotzdem sehr schöner Gesang!
OGUrkel 1 year ago
Demon...
Arastusamad 1 year ago
she looks like an erlking :D
CerealBox 1 year ago
She is so amazing. Not only is she pedagogic perfection, but her characterizations are so clear and spot on. She already has the crazy eyes that are perfect for the erlkonig. CRAZY EYE!
actorboy2 1 year ago 5
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I hate her!!!
monpitt500 1 year ago
most awesome but her expression kinda scary, i guess close ups were never really made for things that were suppose to be sung on stage
flipperboy 1 year ago 2
Am I the only person who thinks her voice totally does not match her looks? Amazing range though. Not many people can differentiate the characters of the song as effectively as she does
metalheadnick555 1 year ago
Mais génial! Point! AV
ALEXISVASSILIEV 1 year ago
thought that was a man
johnsw224 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
holy shit, this is the ugliest woman ive ever seen.. her facial expressions.. goddamn
DanielSahne 1 year ago
@DanielSahne You are an idiot. How dare you insult such an amazing Talented beautiful women. You can Rot in hell for that comment.
katharineluvsopera 1 year ago 2
@DanielSahne You are truly an idiot. You watching such a great performer and can't think of anything more intelligent to say than that?
Doromir 1 year ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
@Doromir Fuck you, you white honky nigga!
madslasher666 1 year ago
actually its a lied, lieder is the plural hahaha ;)
gigies007 1 year ago 3
She speaks fluent German.
MNGYM26 1 year ago
Tolle Sängerin keine Frage, auch die Aussprache finde ich phänomenal gut. Gestern kam im WDR eine Dokumentation über sie, sehr interessant.
Was mich jedoch stört ist die Tatsache, dass bei allen Videos mit solchen Rauminstallationen jede Spur vom Pianisten bzw. Orchester fehlt und noch nicht mal der Name des grade bei Schubert unglaublich wichtigen "Begleiters" angezeigt wird, es handelt sich hier um Kammermusik, das Zusammenspiel ist enorm wichtig, auch bei einer solchen Berühmtheit.
moritz8t8n 1 year ago
She's great as the little boy, very good as the father, but the fairy king isn't beautiful enough -- he needs to be simultaneously charming, seductive, fascinating, and brutal. That's what makes hte song so great. Kipnis and Fischer Dieskau are really good at the king, esp Kipnis, who bares his fangs at "so brauch ich Gewalt."
1psoas9 1 year ago
How is SHE able to do this ...
German is not her language ...
TheAaronmoses 1 year ago
she sings Wagner all the time... wtf do you mean German isn't her language?
Greatheil 1 year ago
In fact she has a bad pronunciation. Listen to Fischer-Dieskau, he is one of the best (my favourite baritone) singer.
WaldemarKoszlowsky 1 year ago
ohhh, It's so amazing
zirianos 1 year ago 2
der akzent xD
wasamambo93 1 year ago
This hurts my eyes and i can't take her seriously. But she does a good job of sounding like a father.
SpencerBlaileen 1 year ago 2
She sings it well - she's good at getting the child's terror across - but the fussy staging and direction in this intensely dramatic song are unnecessary. Well sung (and accompanied) this song needs nothing beyond itself.
leitfie3579 2 years ago 3
OooooOooooOooohhhh
very dramatic, good voice!
MsGabification 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
She ought to stick to eating watermelon.
ttoby11 2 years ago
@ttoby11 scum
tongueonfire 2 years ago
gruselig und dramatisch soll es doch auch sein, bis jetzt ist sie die beste Sängerin, sie bringt es einfach perfekt. Alleine schon die einzelnen Rollen die sie identisch interpretiert. Einfach genial.
singingdreamteam 2 years ago
3:05-3:20 makes me laugh every time I see it, it's so over dramatic xD
liveekoishii 2 years ago
lol
Gitb999 2 years ago
the singer Erlkönig itself --;
icylakepaxphile 2 years ago
My apologies to Ms. Norman - she is a fine singer. yet this piece...not only is it a man's piece, but to me, it is Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's piece.
OperaGirlK 2 years ago 3