Liszt's Legende von der heiligen Elisabeth

Piano virtuoso with religious consecration

From the age of forty, he was court chapel master in Weimar and, as a composer, the inventor of the symphonic poem. Around the age of fifty, he moved to Rome, received a religious ordination, called himself Abbé Liszt and composed many religious choral works. Liszt was the son-in-law of (and good friends with) Richard Wagner, who was two years younger.

Frescoes come to life

Both men certainly influenced each other, but Liszt did not have the instinct to compose an opera. Nevertheless, he ventured into a new genre: a concert opera/oratorio on a religious theme: the Legend of Saint Elisabeth. In 1855, Moritz von Schwind painted six frescoes about the life of Saint Elisabeth for the Wartburg in Thuringia. This inspired Liszt to create a work in which drama goes hand in hand with static piety—an excellent opportunity to become acquainted with one of the most intriguing scores by this nineteenth-century musical giant.