Hillary Hahn : Ernst - Der Erlkonig

[BootinUp]

Grand Caprice on Schubert’s “Der Erlkönig” – Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst
The next difficult violin piece I’d like to share with you is also by Ernst. Musically speaking, his Grand Caprice on Schubert’s “Der Erlkönig” might be even more technically demanding than the previous piece!

One of the great violinists of our times, Hilary Hahn, talks about the history of this work and why it’s so difficult. Watch her video for a great introduction:

The original music this is based on is Der Erlkönig by Franz Schubert. It was a song for voice and piano. The singer has four roles: narrator, a father, his son, and the Erlkönig (elf king). In Ernst’s arrangement for solo violin, the violinist must also play all four roles, plus the role of piano accompaniment!

The music is so intensely difficult, that at one point there are two lines of music at a time! For this reason alone, you could definitely argue that this is the most difficult violin piece.

https://violinspiration.com/hardest-violin-piece/

[hatrack]

1. Good God! I knew the original Lied, but had no idea this was out there . . .

Absolutely jaw-dropping. Thank you!

[not fooled]

2. Thank you for posting this

A welcome moment to enjoy something awesome.