Schubert ’Der Erlkonig’ - Michael Aspinall, the surprising soprano

German lieder, the most serious form of all vocal music, is here presented in Schubert’s “The Erl King.“ Four characters are portrayed by the singer: the Narrator is the first, telling the story of how a father is riding home through the darkness with his young son in his arms. These three characters are joined by the Erl King, whom the child spies in the trees as they gallop along. “Do you not see him?“ the child asks. “It is just the fog,“ the father replies. The Erl King beckons to the boy: “Come play wi