Jpc's current special price offer includes the lovely recording of Cornelius' comic opera conducted by Ferdinand Leitner:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Peter-Cornelius-1824-1874-Der-Barbier-von-Bagdad/hnum/7741400 (https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Peter-Cornelius-1824-1874-Der-Barbier-von-Bagdad/hnum/7741400)
What a fabulous opera this is: so much gorgeous writing for the orchestra, so many wonderful melodies for the soloists. A wonderful counterbalance - for me at least - to the overindulgence involved in listening to so much Korngold recently!
Looks promising, thanks, Alan :-) - and I like this piece very much. I also like his Lieder (they have been recorded by Naxos) and choral works! There is an excellent recording of his Requiem and Stabat Mater on Harmonia Mundi, as conducted by Michel Piquemal.
As far as Korngold's "Heliane" is concerned, I still hesitate to continue listening - the 3rd act ist waiting for me...
I heard that this older "Barbier" one should be good too:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/peter-cornelius-der-barbier-von-bagdad/hnum/6741395
Or perhaps I am going to buy the Keilberth one:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Peter-Cornelius-1824-1874-Der-Barbier-von-Bagdad/hnum/8976499
And what will this be?:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/peter-cornelius-der-barbier-von-bagdad/hnum/6363996
Oh dear, ther's another one:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Peter-Cornelius-1824-1874-Der-Barbier-von-Bagdad/hnum/6825711
(This was once also issued on Preiser CDs)
I once had the one on EMI (with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, now reissued by Naxos), but, as far as I remember, it wasn't complete...
...shows how much it was performed in the past. I also have the old EMI (now Naxos) recording, but reckon that Leitner is pretty fine too - and, of course, you can hear Cornelius' wonderful orchestration in all its glory as the sound is very good (1974 vintage).
You convinced me - so I have one more souvenir of Ferdinand Leitner, whose acquaintance I made during his last years at the Zurich Opera. I have quite a few interesting CDs with him conducting, as Busoni's "Doktor Faust", Orff's Tryptichon, "Prometheus" and "Antigone" - and Beethoven's Piano Concertos with Wilhelm Kempff.