Die Priester

Die Priester emerged in Germany as a Roman Catholic trio who attained widespread recognition through contemporary adaptations of sacred repertoire, echoing the path taken earlier by Northern Ireland's the Priests and France's Les Prêtres. Abbot Primate Notker Wolf and Austrian chaplain Karl Wallner, already known for assembling the comparable Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz, assembled the group whose members comprise Father Vianney Meister, diocesan priest Andreas Schatzkle, and Abbot Rhabanus Petri. Their inaugural album Spiritus Dei, issued in 2011, presented refreshed interpretations of Beethoven, Bach, and Handel alongside versions of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Xavier Naidoo's "Dieser Weg," securing the eighth spot on the German album chart.