The Classical Voice

The Classical Voice

Apple Music Classical

Updated 8 hours 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.

La vie en rose

Les Frivolités Parisiennes, Sammy El Ghadab, Fatma Said

4:07

VIII. In an Hour

Emma Denton, Eric Whitacre Singers

5:54

No. 3, As I Lay in the Early Sun

Ian Tindale, Nick Pritchard

1:47

Scene 1, Aria di Giorgio. Ah! sempre l'istessa vision!

Vincenzo Milletarì, Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali, Freddie De Tommaso

1:59

Bésame mucho (Arr. Lakeland for Soprano & Piano)

Antonio Pappano, Aigul Akhmetshina

3:46

Ask, Seek, Knock

Adam Whitmore, Phoenix Consort, Edie Tunnicliffe

2:04

Se in campo armato

Simone Kermes, Julien Salemkour, Warsaw Chamber Opera Orchestra

5:42

III. Amadou Diallo, 23 "Mom, I'm Going to College."

Michael Stern, EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble, Kansas City Symphony

3:15

No. 5, Am Feierabend

Christian Haimel, Markus Miesenberger

2:39

Duncano sarà qui?

Lise Davidsen, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner

2:28

O mio babbino caro (Lauretta)

Fatma Said, Les Frivolités Parisiennes, Sammy El Ghadab

2:20

Tale of the Leiden Riddle

Christian Forshaw, Grace Davidson

5:53

No. 19, Der Müller und der Bach

Georg Nigl, Alexander Gergelyfi

5:21

No. 9, Look at the Stars

Eric Holtan, True Concord Voices & Orchestra

4:53

O Cool Is The Valley Now

Kevin J. Miller, John Holiday

2:15

I. Liebesbotschaft

George Xiaoyuan Fu, Lotte Betts-Dean

3:07

III. Sequentia: No. 3, Rex tremendae

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

2:01

Marizápalos

Núria Rial, ArteMandoline

5:30

No. 14, Selbstgefühl

Katharina Konradi, Joseph Middleton

1:55

The Caged Bird Sings for Freedom

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

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, David Webb, John Andrews

2:52

Gloria (by David Davies)

Charles Maxtone-Smith, Matthew Searles, Buckfast Abbey Choir

4:18

XII. Danza del juego de amor

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

2:49

I. Allegro, ma non tanto

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

6:47

No. 3, Exile

Joanna Songi, Matthew Fletcher

1:46

III. Halt!

Roderick Williams, Carducci String Quartet

1:35

This Sweet and Merry Month of May, T. 317

Owain Park, The Gesualdo Six

2:59

Scene 1, Must the winter come so soon?

National Symphony Orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda, J'Nai Bridges

2:09

No. 1, Frühlingsmorgen

Joseph Middleton, Sophie Rennert

2:01

Scene 1, Chi sa se undì

Freddie De Tommaso, Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali, Vincenzo Milletarì

2:49

Scene 2, Conobbi appena mia madre

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

3:48

Break It Gently to My Mother

Nathan Hodgson, Skylark Vocal Ensemble, Matthew Guard

3:13

Der Zwerg, D. 771

Sophie Rennert, Joseph Middleton

5:12

Songs to the Dark Virgin

Sascha El Mouissi, Ted Black

1:54

Air. Son amour, sa constance extrême (Léontine)

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

2:55

Una sanosa porfia

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

5:24

Ave Maria

VOCES8, Ringmasters

7:20

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

Daniel Johansson, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fabio Luisi

2:06

Glück, das mir verblieb

Thomas Søndergård, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Malin Byström

5:39

No. 4, Vast, Green

Myra Huang, Jasper String Quartet, Nicholas Phan

3:31

Schön wie die blaue Sommernacht (From "Giuditta")

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

4:09

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

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

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)

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

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

Kölner Akademie, Michael Alexander Willens

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, Véronique Gens, Ensemble les Surprises

4:03

Gaude et laetare Ferrariensis civitas

Harry Christophers, The Sixteen

6:35

No. 2, Extase

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

3:42

No. 10, Es war der Tag der weißen Chrysanthemen

Aleksandra Myslek, Florian Störtz

2:40

Psalm 22.21

1:30

Non più mesta

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

3:14

Nos esprits libres et contents

Ronan Khalil, Les Bacchantes, Paul Figuier

2:56

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation

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

5:19

I. Villanelle

Carrie-Ann Matheson, Benjamin Bernheim

2:03

Sonetto. Proemio dell’opera

Les Kapsber'girls

5:45

Can she excuse my wrongs?

Jonas Nordberg, Ruby Hughes

2:25

No. 1, Chorus. Herr, unser Herrscher

Raphaël Pichon, Pygmalion

7:48

Donna non vidi mai

London Philharmonic Orchestra, Freddie De Tommaso, Edward Gardner

2:32

IX. Agnus Dei

The Brabant Ensemble, Stephen Rice

2:17

I attempt from Love’s sickness

Sounds Baroque, Helen Charlston

1:50

Quand l’espoir t’es ravi (Live)

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

2:18

Ave Maria

The King's Singers

5:19

Crudel tu non farai

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

5:30

No. 1, C'est l'extase langoureuse

Magdalena Kožená, Mitsuko Uchida

3:14

"Il faut nous séparer" (Charlotte, Werther)

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

2:07

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

Andrè Schuen, Daniel Heide

3:33

Sombre déesse du silence

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

1:44

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

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

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

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

2:14

Duo de la Paix et de la Félicité

Ensemble Théodora, Adèle Charvet, Mariamielle Lamagat

4:52

No. 2, A Song of Qiu-pu

Nicholas Daniel, Hugo Hymas

1:56

O mio babbino caro (Lauretta)

Philharmonia Orchestra, Tullio Serafin, Maria Callas

2:38

There Will Be Rest

6:57

Petite bague taillée (Live)

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

3:14

Für mich soll’s rote Rosen regnen

Les Frivolités Parisiennes, Sammy El Ghadab, Fatma Said

3:04

All Bells in Paradise

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

5:08

I’d roam the world over with you

Roderick Williams, Iain Burnside

3:54

VI. Benedictus

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

4:33

Caro Mio Ben

Cecilia Bartoli, György Fischer

2:43

Franchigia a Floria Tosca

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

2:14

A Hymne to God the Father

Eligio Quinteiro, Grace Davidson, Richard Gowers

3:00

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

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

6:21

No. 3, A mezzanotte, A. 185

Margarita Gritskova, Maria Prinz

4:31

Rondoncino. Mater cara, extremum vale (Jezael)

Iñaki Encina Oyón, Ensemble Diderot, Adriana González

4:36

No. 2, Sait gesunter-heit

Shachar Lavi, Daniel Grossmann, Jewish Chamber Orchestra Munich

1:52

I. Fire Prelude

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

2:21

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

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

2:12

Habanera. L'amour est un oiseau rebelle

Daniele Rustioni, Aigul Akhmetshina, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

4:20

Je crois bien et je le promets

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

5:11

VI. Praised Be the Lord

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

1:16

Che farò senza Euridice? (Arr. Pluhar)

L'Arpeggiata, Rolando Villazón, Christina Pluhar

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

Philippe Jaroussky, Ensemble Artaserse

5:16