Christus

Description

The second oratorio by Franz Liszt, "Christus," for which he himself compiled the biblical passages that serve as the basis for the text, is still rarely performed today: the work demands a great deal of endurance and artistic excellence from the orchestra and choir in order to allow the audience to experience the intimacy, sometimes almost chamber music-like, that Liszt composed here. In the sections "Oratorio de Noël," "Après l'Épiphanie," and "Passion et résurrection," Liszt focuses primarily on conveying Christian values such as love and peace. Musically, the oldest Gregorian chorales are skillfully interwoven with sound dimensions that are sometimes even Wagnerian. This is exactly what the renowned soloists Susanne Bernhard, Kathrin Göring, and Tobias Berndt achieve in collaboration with the Collegium Vocale Leipzig and the Dresden Philharmonic Choir. The music from the court of Merseburg is performed under the direction of Michael Schönheit, organist of the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and organist of the Merseburg Cathedral, on period instruments.