But why a Schubert celebration in this, Beethoven’s 250th birthday year? Gay Stanek, CCMS’s Vice President of Programs, explains: “Schubert and Beethoven were contemporaries in Vienna who took very different directions to reach the next level.  Schubert’s lyricism has always attracted me, and what he does with words and music is astounding.  In junior high school, the first piece that I knew by Schubert was Erlkönig, an absolutely devastating song that still haunts me.  So, in this special year when I knew we all would be hearing a lot of Beethoven, I thought it would be fascinating and thought-provoking to add Schubert to the mix.”

Here is a marvelous performance of Der Erlkönig with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone) and Gerald Moore (piano):  Note how Fischer-Dieskau acts out all three roles, father, son and Erlking.