Cornelius: The Barber of Bagdad

December 24th will mark the bicentenary of composer Peter Cornelius. Born on Christmas Eve, he remains famous mostly for his Christmas works: the Weihnachtslieder cycle of songs and the very popular German carol Die drei Könige. Very close to Liszt and Wagner, Cornelius was also a refined composer of stage works, his most famous being The Barber of Bagdad, a ravishing comic opera in which Abul plays - as his Sevillian alter ego - the matchmaker between Nureddin and Margiana, the daughter of a Muslim dignitary. This digital premiere highlights a great cast of singers with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Nicolai Gedda, Hermann Prey or Oskar Czerwenka in the title role.