Mörike-Chorliederbuch (1993)

Selectie van 27 van de 48 zettingen van 40 gedichten van Mörike (enkele gedichten werden twee, drie keer door Distler op muziek gezet). Complete uitvoeringen zijn zeldzaam, al helemaal door professionele koren. "Hugo Distler's Mörike-Chorliederbuch was published in three volumes in 1939. The first book is set for mixed choir, the second for female chorus and third for male chorus. As in the previous settings of Hugo Wolf and Josef Rheinberger before him, Distler drew inspiration from the small but significant catalog of poems written by Eduard Mörike (1804-1875). But Distler's music in no way resembles that of the earlier masters. Distler's mature choral composition recalls 17th century Baroque practice, both in its basic sound and in its manner of text painting. But the Mörike-Chorliederbuch is liberally spiced with mild dissonances that place it firmly in the middle 20th century. Distler's clear, homophonic texture is practically free of chromaticism and complex counterpoint." (Dave Lewis, Allmusic)