The literary and musically gifted Peter Cornelius (1824-1874) was a composer who moved in the circles around Liszt and Wagner. Nevertheless, he managed to take up an independent position alongside these giants, making his opera "The Barber of Baghdad" one of the few German operas of that time that does not fall against Wagner's all-dominating art. Cornelius was no less devout than Liszt. Both have
… written numerous important religious works. Musicologists have often assumed that Cornelius was just as dedicated a defender of the Roman Catholic faith as Liszt. Yet ironically, the cardinal moments of his life (birth, marriage, and death) show that he was never anything but a Protestant. Cornelius' high level religiously tinted choral works can be seen from a CD by the vocal ensemble Polyphony conducted by Stephen Layton. The CD takes its title from the well-known "Die Könige op.8 No. 3", arranged by Stephen Layton. A beautiful melody with the text "Drei Kön'ge wandern aus Mogenland" is artfully interwoven with the chorale "Wie schön leuchtet der Mörgenstern". Yet this CD is definitely not a Christmas CD. The program begins with the highly expressive "Requiem ('Seele, mistake nicht')", written in memory of the poet Friedrich Hebbel. The CD also contains "Drei Chorgesänge op.11" and the "Trauernchöre op.9" (HJ) _more
