Organist Cameron Carpenter shows us how to colour words with sound in Schubert's Erlkönig

One of the most dramatic German art songs has to be Schubert's Erlkönig (Erl-King, the story of a father clutching his sick little boy as they ride on horseback to find help, while being pursued by death).

It is one of the pieces Cameron Carpenter has recorded on a Wurlitzer theatre organ for this new CD-DVD combination album, which I reviewed in today's Star. He adds so much colour to each sound -- while being rue to Schubert's music -- that I can alost forget there is no actual voice present.

You can see how Carpenter shaped his interpretation in a making-of video. But, first, here is the great Jessye Norman to sing it for us, first.

Comments

[Scott Belyea]

Well ... I can't go along with you at all here.

First, in this more than in most lieder, it seems to me that the lack of the human voice is crippling. I just listened to Fischer-Dieskau/Moore from the EMI mid-60's Salzburg box. You say that "Carpenter shows us how to colour words with sound...". Compared to F-D (or a number of other singers), all I can say is that my ears must work differently from yours.

Second, the organ is a very poor second to the piano in this song. To my ears, the crispness and drive is seriously diminished by the organ sound. Not quite mushy, but it certanly doesn't have the definition of the piano sound.

And third, in such a narrative song, the actual words matter.

Ah, well. It will presumably come as no surprise that I have quite a few E. Power Biggs LP's, but only 2 by Virgil Fox. I guess there's just no accounting for taste. :-)

[DAVE R.]

CARPENTER IS A HACK HE TRIES TO PERVERT THE ORGANS HE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO PLAY THE GREAT PIPE ORGAN... HE HAS SAID HE DOESNT BELIEVE

[John Terauds]

Scott,
On the DVD, Carpenter prefaces each piece with an explanation of how he approaches the music. One of the points he brings up is fidelity to the score in an instance where the music, as written/published, isn't sympathetic to the nature of the organ. For Erlkönig, for example, he says how the rapid-fire staccato chords in the accompaniment sound too choppy when transferred from piano to pipe. He says he hates "cheating" sounds, but that it's necessary to make the music sound better.
I agree with you that Erlkönig sounds better in the original -- but I love hearing a different perspective, especially from an artist as bold and unconventional as Carpenter.