Interest in Liszt's oratorios is currently experiencing a remarkable revival, after a long period of neglect. However, the popularity of most works in this genre remains low; high performance costs and the disappearance of once-celebrated compositions like Mendelssohn's 'St. Paul' from the concert repertoire play a role in this. Even major oratorios are less frequently performed today than in earlier times, when new scores were regularly published, and the recording industry has hardly been able to compensate for this decline.
Liszt himself attached great importance to his masses and oratorios, devoting considerable care to them and subjecting them to repeated revisions. His first oratorio, 'The Legend of Saint Elizabeth,' was composed after the successful completion of his large orchestral mass for the consecration of the basilica in Esztergom. This work was characterized by operatic elements and the use of leitmotifs. The piano version differed significantly from the full orchestral score and demonstrated great artistic sophistication. Liszt's compositional mastery was also evident in the orchestral movements of his Christus oratorio. In its structure, Christus differs significantly from The Legend of Saint Elizabeth, as it encompasses various sections, including the Christmas Oratorio, the Passion, and the Resurrection.
Liszt worked on The Legend of Saint Elizabeth, which tells the story of a Hungarian landgravine, for approximately twelve years. He planned to incorporate national melodies. Although the oratorio remained unfinished, Liszt published individual fragments and polonaises, which possess a solemn and patriotic-religious character. These polonaises are now among the most important works in his piano repertoire and demonstrate the development of his later style.