Today's Version of My Top 15 Most Beautiful Songs/Arias Ever Written

When I started this post months ago, it really was going to be just my top 10 favorites. But then there were just too many.  And then there were too many wonderful recordings of each song.  So this is more than 10 favorites, as sung by just a few of my favorite singers. They are in no particular order.  Making me rank them would just be cruel.

Nessun Dorma

Bjorling and Puccini!  Need I say more?

Casta Diva

This isn't my favorite recording of Monserrat Caballe singing this aria, but it's still pretty amazing.  Her decrescendo on the high note at 4:25 alone is worthy the two and a half minutes of applause that follow.

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen

En priere

Here's another great recording.

An Chloris

Clair de lune

Morgen

For over 20 years, Elizabeth Schwartskopf's gorgeous high note on "wogenblauen" has been my ideal, that place I was working towards.  This summer I found it.

C

I had never heard of this singer, but I really like this performance.

Le Secret

And another

Die Nacht

Ave Maria 

This always gives me chills, and sometimes even tears.  Stunning!

Befreit

Die Stille Lotosblume

Mondnacht

Four Last Songs, especially Im Abendrot

I'm cheating and counting the set as 1 song. Here's Schwartzkopf sing all four songs.

Flagstad demonstrates why Strauss requested her for the premier.  This left me in tears.


And yes, I did listen to all of these again today.

Practice Journal 10/6/09

I had a chance to warm-up and start my practicing when a student cancelled her lesson for today. Verzagen is just feeling really awkward right now. It's not bad, but it's not really improving and going where I want it to. I think I need to set it aside for awhile and focus on other things.

After all the teaching was done for the day, I stayed and worked on the Strauss songs. The Schlechtes Wetter high note that I wanted to work yesterday actually worked today. Overall, the high notes are feeling much better. I just need to remember not to force them. It's the same issue with the higher pitches in Ach, lieb ich muss nun scheiden. I have to remember that those notes are easy for me now and don't take as much effort physically as they used to. The last page of Die Nacht with all those repeated Ds is also feeling much bettter. The G is also good, but coming down after that still needs to be worked and smoothed out a bit more.

Practice Journal 10/5/09

Stayed at school after lessons today to practice. I was able to accomplish a couple of things, but the top is still a little rough, so I only did a couple of the Strauss songs and then quit for the day. I really wanted to work the high phrase, because it is so close to being what I want, but by the third attenpt, I knew it wasn't going to happen today. My voice was doing weird things when I was just talking to students today, so I didn't want to push my luck. We have a few long weekends coming up and I'm interested to see how my voice is when I have a little more rest. Hopefully it will be better.