Here’s an odd one for me. I’m not actually playing on this, but I did the recording and mastering. 18 channels of audio, a full orchestra and several singers, and several months of working before and after the session meant that this was a big part of my life, especially since a friend (Laura Specht) was the one who wrote the opera. I am stoked about how well this turned out.
The characters appearing in this piece are (in order of appearance):
Haas – baritone – main character/hero
Erlking – countertenor (falsetto) – the evil Elf King/Devil
Kikimora – soprano – a good forest spirit
In this scene, the Erlking has convinced Haas that his village is under attack, and the only way to save it is to make a deal with him. Kikimora tries to keep Haas safely in her forest cave, but Haas feels he has no choice but to make the deal, and calls upon the Erlking.