Der Traum

Peter Cornelius’s Der Traum paints a vivid picture, ideal for a varied concert program. This German secular partsong for SATB voices explores a dream-like narrative. The text describes two pale, ailing lovers who, through their embrace in a beautiful garden, become young and healthy again. The moment is accompanied by the sound of bells, and the dream concludes, returning them to their separate, stark realities: one in a convent cell, the other in a tower's depths. Cornelius captures the ephemeral nature of this romantic vision, contrasting the dream's restorative power with its eventual, abrupt end. This piece offers an opportunity to convey a poignant and evocative story through choral sound.