The magnificent world of vocal artistry: a special feature on popular vocal works from opera to art songs.

At the end of the wilderness

At the End of the Wilderness — Angels We Have Heard on High — Lyrics/Translation [CC]

This is a captivating number with a majestic, melancholic sound reminiscent of a Western.

It’s the song that brought singer Yuzo Yamashita to wide recognition.

Released in November 1972 as the theme for the TV period drama “Hissatsu Shikakenin,” it’s included on the album “Uta, Sono Shuppatsu” (Song, Its Departure).

In the desolate world painted by the lyricist, the protagonist’s profound inner spirit—bearing a merciless fate yet holding fast to his convictions—is conveyed through Yamashita’s richly emotive vocals.

The dramatic structure, ascending from silence to a climactic peak, is breathtaking.

It’s a soul-stirring track for those who want to immerse themselves in highly narrative music.

Starlit NightClaude Debussy

Debussy – Nuit d’étoiles (Natalie Dessay)

A soprano singer from France, praised as one of the greatest of our time.

Her gentle yet radiant voice is captivating, but she has been plagued by vocal cord problems that have forced her to undergo surgery multiple times.

She is now active across a broader range of genres beyond classical music.

In this piece, you can fully enjoy Dessay’s characteristically light, soaring high notes.

Night and DreamFranz Peter Schubert

Marilyn Horne – Nacht und Träume – Franz Schubert

Composed by Franz Schubert to a poem by Matthäus von Collin, “Nacht und Träume: Night and Dreams” is a beautiful, highly romantic masterpiece—one of the finest among Schubert’s lieder—and is also renowned as a difficult piece because it demands advanced breath-control technique from the singer to maintain legato.

Letter Aria from the opera Eugene OneginPeter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Kristine Opolais, Tatyana’s Letter Scene, Part 2

Among the ten operas composed by the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky, the lyrical Eugene Onegin (premiered March 1879) is both a masterpiece and the most popular.

One of its most famous arias is the “Letter Scene.” The opera’s libretto is based on the novel of the same name by Alexander Pushkin.

The Voice of SpringFranz Peter Schubert

Sumi Jo sings Frühlingsstimmen (J. Strauss) 조수미, 봄의소리왈츠

She is a soprano singer from South Korea whose beautiful voice was praised by the world-renowned conductor Karajan as a “gift from God.” Through numerous collaborations with many distinguished singers and conductors, she quickly rose to fame.

Here, she delivers a radiant performance of Strauss’s famous waltz.

Casta Diva from the opera NormaVincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini

Norma – Casta diva (Sonya Yoncheva, The Royal Opera)

Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva, who drew the opera world’s attention by winning the Operalia competition in 2010 and soared to the top globally in both popularity and skill after her great success in La sonnambula at the Paris Opera in 2013, delivers a magnificent performance of Casta Diva, the famous aria from Bellini’s opera Norma, a piece considered one of the most challenging for sopranos.

Motet “Rejoice, be glad, O blessed souls,” HallelujahWolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Julia Lezhneva, Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini – Alleluia

The third movement “Alleluia” from the motet Exsultate, jubilate (“Rejoice, be glad, O blessed soul”), composed by Mozart in 1773, is a celebrated vocal piece whose bright, pure character evokes angels dancing and playing in the clear blue sky.

Although originally written for a castrato, it is now performed as an important repertoire piece by female lyric sopranos capable of producing high tessitura.