Schubert: Erlkönig - Litanie

Benedict Nelson won second prize in the Kathleen Ferrier awards and the Guildhall Gold Medal, both in 2007. But at Wigmore Hall, minutes before the semifinal results of the International Song Competition were released, he confessed: performing in competitions does not get easier with practice. Quite the contrary: ‘You work and work until you’re in a place where you can feel good about yourself,’ he says, ‘and then a competition comes round!’
He needn’t have worried. With his prize-winning pianist Gary Matthewman, he won a place in the finals of the 2009 Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation International Song Competition – all the while juggling rehearsals for Turandot. Where the man’s energy comes from is a mystery. Where it goes isn’t: we defy you not to dance and shout during this blistering rendition of Schubert’s "Erlkönig: Litanie".

Tags

Wigmore Hall, lieder, and Song Competition