The Erlkings: Haydnfeld

by The Erlkings

Vienna, Zürich, and Berlin

The 6th studio album of The Erlkings, featuring songs by Joseph Haydn. Enjoy stories of love, loss, and the idyllic country life in the completely made-up village of Haydnfeld on the river Sepp.

EUR 12’401

103% of EUR 12’000

103 %
This is how it works

The «all or nothing» principle applies: The project only receives the funds if the funding target is reached or exceeded.

100 backers

Successfully concluded on 25/6/2023

A new song-cycle by Haydn and The Erlkings

Joseph Haydn never wrote a song cycle. However, he did write a great many individual songs throughout the course of his long life. From innocent love scenes like «Der erste Kuss» to masterful settings of Shakespeare like «She never told her love», the art of song was clearly something he excelled at. Now, for the first time ever, your favourite Kunstlieder band «The Erlkings» have assembled and arranged 11 of Haydn’s best songs into an enchanting story we call «Haydnfeld». Now is your chance to join us in the making!

Haydn's Birth House in Rohrau (by F. Bayazit)
Haydn's Birth House in Rohrau (by F. Bayazit)

Haydnfeld an der Sepp

Imagine this: At the height of his career in London, after establishing the art of the symphony, composing countless hours of chamber music, operas and oratorios, Joseph Haydn is deeply moved by the death of his friend Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and returns for a time to Austria, the country of his birth. The loss of his esteemed colleague bends his thoughts to life and death, and he is overwhelmed by the need to visit the place of his own birth, a beautiful courtyard east of Vienna in the town of Rohrau. The sights, smells, and nostalgia of his home take hold of Haydn in the most unusual and intense way. Floating in a fog of memory, both real and imagined, he sleeps. Not the gentle, restorative sleep of a simple man, but the sleep of deep feeling and fantasy that is the realm of the genius mind. He dreams of Haydnfeld, of the river Sepp, and of the gentle, loving folk who live there. He dreams of their lives and their deaths, of their laughter and their tears. Upon waking, he remembers the dream with unnatural clarity and smiles to himself as he sits down to compose…

Here is what the money is for:

As you may know already, we are very committed to making each Erlkings album as unique visually as it is musically. For this production we will be working with the amazing illustrator Filiz Bayazit to bring Haydnfeld to life!

Have a look at some of her work below.

Further production costs include: Recording, Sound Technician, Editing, Mixing, Mastering, Printing, and Distribution.

Thank you for considering joining us on yet another Lieder Adventure! We can’t wait to share what we make with you.

Much love, Bryan, Thomas, Ivan, and Simon