The Classical Voice

The Classical Voice

Apple Music Classical

Updated 3 days ago

Though classical music tends to be distinguished by symphonic instruments, some of its most beautiful pieces rely solely on the human voice's expressive power. This playlist showcases that range and potential, encompassing everything from Renaissance song to Romantic lieder, opera and oratorio. And remember: We regularly update these pieces, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

O mio babbino car (Lauretta)

Les Frivolités Parisiennes, Sammy El Ghadab, Fatma Said

2:20

Tale of the Leiden Riddle

Grace Davidson, Christian Forshaw

5:53

No. 19, Der Müller und der Bach

Alexander Gergelyfi, Georg Nigl

5:21

No. 9, Look at the Stars

True Concord Voices & Orchestra, Eric Holtan

4:53

O Cool Is The Valley Now

John Holiday, Kevin J. Miller

2:15

I. Liebesbotschaft

George Xiaoyuan Fu, Lotte Betts-Dean

3:07

III. Sequentia: No. 3, Rex tremendae

RIAS Kammerchor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Chamber Orchestra of Europe

2:01

Marizápalos

ArteMandoline, Núria Rial

5:30

No. 14, Selbstgefühl

Joseph Middleton, Katharina Konradi

1:55

The Caged Bird Sings for Freedom

Eugene Rogers, Raymond Santos, EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble, Ruben Reyes

7:18

Mujer Fatal

Aigul Akhmetshina, Antonio Pappano

5:43

Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes (Arr. for Voice and Ensemble by John Andrews)

Academy of Ancient Music, John Andrews, David Webb

2:52

Gloria (by David Davies)

Charles Maxtone-Smith, Buckfast Abbey Choir, Matthew Searles

4:18

XII. Danza del juego de amor

Gustavo Dudamel, Pasión Vega, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela

2:49

I. Allegro, ma non tanto

Dmytro Popov, Netherlands Radio Choir, Karina Canellakis, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra

6:47

No. 3, Exile

Joanna Songi, Matthew Fletcher

1:46

XX. Halt!

Carducci String Quartet, Roderick Williams

1:35

This Sweet and Merry Month of May, T. 317

The Gesualdo Six, Owain Park

2:59

Scene 1, Must the winter come so soon?

Gianandrea Noseda, National Symphony Orchestra, J'Nai Bridges

2:09

No. 1, Frühlingsmorgen

Joseph Middleton, Sophie Rennert

2:01

Scene 1, Chi sa se undì

Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali, Vincenzo Milletarì, Freddie De Tommaso

2:49

Scene 2, Conobbi appena mia madre

Eleonora Buratto, Vincenzo Milletarì, Freddie De Tommaso, Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali

3:48

Break It Gently to My Mother

Skylark Vocal Ensemble, Nathan Hodgson, Matthew Guard

3:13

Der Zwerg, D. 771

Sophie Rennert, Joseph Middleton

5:12

Songs to the Dark Virgin

Ted Black, Sascha El Mouissi

1:54

Air. Son amour, sa constance extrême (Léontine)

Lauranne Oliva, Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal, Théotime Langlois de Swarte

2:55

Una sanosa porfia

René Ramos Premier, Hélène Richaud, Edouard Monjanel-Bensaïd, Simon-Pierre Bestion, Axelle Verner, La Tempête

5:24

Ave Maria

VOCES8, Ringmasters

7:20

Scene 2, Aber, wie sah meine Mutter wohl aus?

Fabio Luisi, Daniel Johansson, Dallas Symphony Orchestra

2:06

Glück, das mir verblieb

Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Thomas Søndergård, Malin Byström

5:39

No. 4, Vast, Green

Jasper String Quartet, Myra Huang, Nicholas Phan

3:31

Schön wie die blaue Sommernacht (From "Giuditta")

Dirk Kaftan, Jonas Kaufmann, Nikola Hillebrand, Hungarian State Opera Orchestra

4:09

Scene 1, Vorspiel. Walkürenritt (The Ride of the Valkyries); Hojotoho!…Hojotoho!

Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Deniz Uzun, Sun-Ly Pierce, Melody Wilson, Renee Tatum, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Fabio Luisi, Miriam Clark, Alexandra Loutsion, Kathryn Henry

7:48

T'ubbidirò, crudele...Fammi combattere

Le Concert de l'Hostel Dieu, Franck-Emmanuel Comte, Xavier Sabata

4:19

An den Mond in einer Herbstnacht, D. 614

Sophie Rennert, Joseph Middleton

7:15

Cavatina. Casta Diva (Norma, Coro)

Elsa Dreisig, Massimo Zanetti, Coro del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova

5:16

Sospiri, volato, G. 130

Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal, Lauranne Oliva

3:46

If Music Be the Food of Love, Z. 379 (Third Version)

Jakub Józef Orliński, Michał Biel

4:43

II. Gloria in excelsis Deo

Michael Alexander Willens, Kölner Akademie

5:35

Vissi d'arte (Piano Reduction) [Live at Metropolitan Opera, New York, 2023]

Lise Davidsen, James Baillieu

3:41

II. BETH. Plorans ploravit

The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips

5:23

Amour, cruel amour

Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, Ensemble les Surprises, Véronique Gens

4:03

Gaude et laetare Ferrariensis civitas

Harry Christophers, The Sixteen

6:35

No. 2, Extase

Elsa Dreisig, Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Massimo Zanetti

3:42

No. 10, Es war der Tag der weißen Chrysanthemen

Florian Störtz, Aleksandra Myslek

2:40

Psalm 22.21

1:30

Non più mesta

Daniele Rustioni, Apollo Voices, Aigul Akhmetshina, Genevieve Ellis, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

3:14

Nos esprits libres et contents

Paul Figuier, Ronan Khalil, Les Bacchantes

2:56

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation

Choir of the Queen's College, Oxford, Molly Skeil, Owen Rees

5:19

I. Villanelle

Benjamin Bernheim, Carrie-Ann Matheson

2:03

Sonetto. Proemio dell’opera

Les Kapsber'girls

5:45

Can she excuse my wrongs?

Ruby Hughes, Jonas Nordberg

2:25

No. 1, Chorus. Herr, unser Herrscher

Pygmalion, Raphaël Pichon

7:48

Donna non vidi mai

Freddie De Tommaso, Edward Gardner, London Philharmonic Orchestra

2:32

IX. Agnus Dei

The Brabant Ensemble, Stephen Rice

2:17

I attempt from Love’s sickness

Helen Charlston, Sounds Baroque

1:50

Quand l’espoir t’es ravi (Live)

Kenneth Kellogg, Chauncey Packer, Patrick Dupré Quigley, Opera Lafayette Orchestra

2:18

Ave Maria

The King's Singers

5:19

Crudel tu non farai

Laurence Cummings, Mary Bevan, Academy of Ancient Music, Randall Scotting

5:30

No. 1, C'est l'extase langoureuse

Mitsuko Uchida, Magdalena Kožená

3:14

"Il faut nous séparer" (Charlotte, Werther)

Isabel Leonard, Matthew Polenzani, Houston Grand Opera, Robert Spano

2:07

Alalt a ci (Arr. Schuen for Voice and Piano) [Musical Moments]

Daniel Heide, Andrè Schuen

3:33

Sombre déesse du silence

Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, Ensemble les Surprises, Véronique Gens

1:44

Solveig's Song. Kanske vil der gå både Vinter og Vår (Solveig)

Elsa Dreisig, Massimo Zanetti, Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova

5:26

No. 25, If I can stop one Heart from breaking (on Praetorius "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming")

Time for Three, Joyce DiDonato

2:05

I. Ô bon printemps

Hélène Guilmette, Pierre Dumoussaud, Julien Henric, Marie-Andrée Bouchard-Lesieur, Orchestre de l'Opéra de Rouen Normandie

2:14

Duo de la Paix et de la Félicité

Adèle Charvet, Mariamielle Lamagat, Ensemble Théodora

4:52

No. 2, A Song of Qiu-pu

Nicholas Daniel, Hugo Hymas

1:56

O mio babbino caro (Lauretta)

Maria Callas, Philharmonia Orchestra, Tullio Serafin

2:38

There Will Be Rest

6:57

Petite bague taillée (Live)

Mary Elizabeth Williams, Kenneth Kellogg, Joshua Conyers, Nicole Cabell, Opera Lafayette Orchestra, Chauncey Packer, Patrick Dupré Quigley

3:14

Für mich soll’s rote Rosen regnen

Sammy El Ghadab, Fatma Said, Les Frivolités Parisiennes

3:04

All Bells in Paradise

Britten Sinfonia, Daniel Hyde, The Choir of King's College, Cambridge

5:08

I’d roam the world over with you

Roderick Williams, Iain Burnside

3:54

VI. Benedictus

Laurence Kilsby, Beth Taylor, Alex Rosén, Raphaël Pichon, Pygmalion, Ying Fang

4:33

Caro Mio Ben

Cecilia Bartoli, György Fischer

2:43

Franchigia a Floria Tosca

Daniel Harding, Eleonora Buratto, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Jonathan Tetelman

2:14

A Hymne to God the Father

Grace Davidson, Eligio Quinteiro, Richard Gowers

3:00

Johohoe! Traft ihr das Schiff im Meere an "Senta's Ballad"

Lise Davidsen, The Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, The Norwegian National Opera Chorus, Edward Gardner

6:21

No. 3, A mezzanotte, A. 185

Maria Prinz, Margarita Gritskova

4:31

Rondoncino. Mater cara, extremum vale (Jezael)

Adriana González, Iñaki Encina Oyón, Ensemble Diderot

4:36

No. 2, Sait gesunter-heit

Daniel Grossmann, Shachar Lavi, Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich

1:52

I. Fire Prelude

Remy Le Boeuf, Kantorei, Christopher Tin, Dylan Tyree, Nicholas Recuber, David Short, Alicia Rigsby

2:21

Di quella pira (Live at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, 1995)

Corale Gioacchino Rossini, Leone Magiera, BBC Philharmonic, Luciano Pavarotti

2:12

Habanera. L'amour est un oiseau rebelle

Daniele Rustioni, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Aigul Akhmetshina

4:20

Je crois bien et je le promets

Chœur et Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Hervé Niquet, Véronique Gens

5:11

VI. Praised Be the Lord

Jonathan Cohen, Arcangelo, Hilary Cronin, Hugo Hymas, Daniel Collins, Samuel Boden, Matthew Long, William Gaunt

1:16

Che farò senza Euridice? (Arr. Pluhar)

L'Arpeggiata, Christina Pluhar, Rolando Villazón

4:09

No. 7, Because I could not stop for Death

Joyce DiDonato, Time for Three

3:04

II. Aria. Con piede errante e lasso

Ensemble Artaserse, Philippe Jaroussky

5:16

Lao Rahal Soti (Arr. for Voice & Choir by Shireen Abu-Khader)

Ethan Sperry, Lily Sveinbjornsson, The Portland State University Chamber Choir

3:52

II. Cujus animam gementem

Rupert Gough, The Choir of Royal Holloway, London Mozart Players

2:30

No. 29, Aus Rosenwolken bricht (Live)

Sir Simon Rattle, Benjamin Bruns, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

3:52

No. 1, Im wunderschönen Monat Mai

Helmut Deutsch, Jonas Kaufmann

1:30

Ange si pur (Fernand)

Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Emmanuel Villaume, Pene Pati

3:19

Aria. Mi tradì quest"alma ingrata

Antonello Manacorda, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Golda Schultz

3:45

Defend her, Heav’n! (2025 Remastered Version)

Harry Bicket, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson

5:42

Nuit d’Espagne

Florian Caroubi, Adèle Charvet

3:19

Torna la pace al core

Nathan Granner, Clelia Cafiero, Marseille Philharmonic Orchestra

6:02

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

VOCES8, Eric Whitacre

5:22