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Naxos proudly presents specially chosen packages of Songs, Mélodies and Lieder highlighting national trends in Germany, England, France, Italy, America, Russia and other countries. The packages contain recordings with such outstanding artists as María Bayo, Ruth Ziesak, Hedwig Fassbender, Felicity Lott, Philip Langridge, Sibylla Rubens and Véronique Gens. Expand your classical music library at a special price when you buy a complete package, or purchase the featured ClassicsOnline Exclusive Sampler and get a discount code you can use on ANY title in this feature.
Browse Naxos Songs - Part I
Browse Naxos Songs - Part I
Naxos Songs - Part II
German Songs Part 2 - German Songs of the 20th Century
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Schoenberg’s works included here reflect his development from his early style, influenced by Wagner and Brahms, to his revolutionary transformation of composition at the beginning of the 20th century.
Webern, a student of Schoenberg, developed his teacher’s techniques even further with his highly controlled use of pitch, rhythm and dynamics to create vividly coloured works of outstanding originality, refined emotion and virtuosity. Aribert Reimann started his musical career as a pianist and worked with such famous singers as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. From the start, songs were among his most important works and they remain a major part of his oeuvre until today. The haunting lyrics of Paul Celan inspired him to compose some intriguing songs. |
Franz Schubert
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Enjoy such treasures as Beethoven’s compelling Fidelio, Bellini’s beautiful lyrical opera La Sonnambula, Gluck’s highly influential Orfeo ed Euridice and operatic rarities by Benda, Kraus, Mayr, Sacchini, Schweitzer and Winter. Sacchini’s Oedipus was one of Marie Antoinette’s favourite operas.
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Robert Schumann
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Enjoy Schumann’s delightful and absorbing songs, including his beloved song cycles Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love), Liederkreis (A Song Garland) opp. 24 & 39, and Frauenliebe und –Leben (A Woman’s Love and Life). His love for his wife-to-be Clara, and the anxieties as her father opposed the planned marriage and they had to fight in court for their right to marry, are all reflected in those moving and beautiful songs. Clara Schumann wrote about her husband’s extraordinary ability to set poems to music: “He understands the texts so beautifully, more deeply than any other composer I know; none has his sensitivity.”
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Ralph Vaughan Williams & Gerald Finzi
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Vaughan Williams ranks among the major English composers of vocal music. Throughout his career he was drawn to the voice, creating a very personal vocal style while merging different influences, such as the musical language of Ravel, with whom Vaughan William was in close contact during the composition of the famous On Wendlock Edge.
Finzi was also enamoured of the voice and composed expressive works with beautiful melodies and dramatic harmonies. Many of his songs are based on lyrics by Thomas Hardy, his favourite poet. While Hardy’s poems reflect his deep fatalism and sense of life’s transience as well as anger at the suffering caused by mankind, Finzi illustrated these texts with utterly captivating music. |
American Songs
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Discover the variety of American songs. William Bolcom’s works range from serious songs to Broadway parodies. George Crumb ranks among the most frequently performed contemporary composers. The power, expressiveness and beauty of his works fascinate audiences and performers alike.
Charles Ives’s nearly 200 songs are regarded as the heart of his creative output. Their expressive variety reflects the evolution of American composition from the influences of German Lieder and English parlour-music to songs of anarchic humour or visionary profoundity. Discover the lesser-known side of jazz legend Dave Brubeck, whose beautiful and highly emotional songs have impressive vocal lines. Enjoy the wit and variety of Charles Wuorinen’s songs, the spirit of Victor Herbert’s compositions for soprano and orchestra (some of which are drawn from his operettas and shows), Lee Hoiby’s elegant and expressive songs, and beautiful songs by MacDowell. The soprano Carole Farley wrote about Ned Rorem’s songs: “Rorem's strengths lie in his uncanny facility with language, his deep understanding of the texts, and his ability to compose fluid, eminently singable vocal lines.” Some rarities by Herbert, Schoenfield and Thomson complete this highly individual package. |
Italian Songs
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Bellini and Donizetti are famous for their operas, but they also wrote some fine songs abounding in beautiful melodies. Busoni composed his songs very early and late in his career. His first songs recall the Romantic era, while in the late songs Busoni breaks with the Romantic tradition by masterfully using declamatory melodies and motoric rhythms, and merging the vocal with the piano parts. Many of Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s songs are based on Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets. The piano is sometimes used to illustrate the setting and imitates other instruments, bells or birds.
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Spanish Songs
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Enjoy Spanish vocal repertoire from early Baroque songs by Guerra to Palomo’s nearly opera-like songs. Durón’s lively works with their Italian influences, the spirited and energetic songs of de Falla, Rodrigo’s powerful music for soprano and orchestra each contribute particular threads to the tapestry of Spanish song. The impressive song cycle Madre Asturias by García Abril evokes the region in north-western Spain.
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Songs from Around the World
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Enjoy a varied mixture of composers from around the world such as Creswell, Langgaard, Henriques, Peterson-Berger, Nielsen, Tofft, Vali and Trimble. Also included are works by such renowned composers as Zemlinsky, Delius, Stenhammar and Martinů. The latter’s songs contain both French influences and folkloristic elements from his homeland, Bohemia.
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*Offer available from August 4 to 31, 2010.
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ClassicsOnline is your source for classical music new releases, rare catalog, historical recordings and exclusive bargains. Our vast classical music catalog has over 1 Million tracks from more than 50,000 albums available in DRM-free MP3 (320kbps) and FLAC (lossless format). More than 500 new albums are added each month, all of which are carefully indexed, and searchable by Composer, Artist, Work and Label. Membership is free, and registration includes 5 free tracks for download. Get a free track every week and gain access to exclusive classical deals when you subscribe to our newsletter. ClassicsOnline was honored in 2010 as the Best Classical Download Site by the MIDEM Classical Awards Jury.
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