For a year I refused to hear them. What trendy band was this, and how dare they traduce the greatest songwriter of them all? Pop arrangements in ENGLISH. Ugh! One day I saw that they were to perform at one of my favourite venues: Wilton’s Music Hall. I went on line to discover more – and heard and saw a performance of ‘Auf dem Wasser zu singen’ that blew me and all my prejudices away.

Not only are the Erlkings paving the way for a new generation of Schubert fans (there were more young faces in the audience than I’ve seen at any other concert hall), they are also offering a new perspective on a repertoire already prized by so many. Every arrangement and translation demonstrates a true love and respect for Schubert as well as a willingness to break from convention and discover new facets of these wonderful songs. As a life-long student of Schubert’s Lieder, I consider the Erlkings to be a most precious addition to his legacy.

Richard Stokes
Professor of Lieder at the Royal Academy of Music, London

The Erlkings
Bryan Benner, Lied singer, guitarist and poet
Ivan Turkalj, cello
Simon Teurezbacher, tuba
Thomas Toppler, percussion, stage and film director