Franz Schmidt was an Austrian composer who studied composition under Bruckner, was a cellist from 1896 to 1914 in the Court Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic, where Mahler admired his playing, and also played in a string quartet led by Oskar Adler, a close friend of Arnold Schoenberg. You can probably tell by all this what his influences were.

This work is Viennese Romantic in style, monumental in form and tonal in language. The subject matter and text used for this oratorio should give you an indication of the scope and tone of this formidable work.

This recording was captured live in Munich in 1997 and everyone involved were deeply in touch with the spirit of the work. Definitely recommended for those of you who like late romantic music with dark overtones. The text and translations, unfortunately, are not included with the CD, but can be obtained at the EMI Classics website.

Jean-Yves Duperron