Richard Strauss:  Ständchen

Richard Strauss: Ständchen

It’s a day for favorites: My favorite composer, Richard Strauss, my favorite song, “Ständchen”, and my favorite singer, Kathleen Battle. As soon as I declare a favorite, my mind immediately thinks of a dozen other “favorites,” but I don’t intend to be...
Barbra Streisand sings “A Piece of Sky”

Barbra Streisand sings “A Piece of Sky”

As I was listening to songs to share, today I kept coming back to Barbra Streisand. Love her or hate her, there is something timelessly vulnerable and honest about her sound. Authenticity is what a listener craves, and Barbra always delivers. This song comes from the...
Joseph Canteloube:  Baïlèro

Joseph Canteloube: Baïlèro

For years, I have adored the Chants d’Auvergne, folk songs from the Auvergne region of France in the local language, Occitan. The collector and arranger of these landscape-inspired songs was Auvergne native Joseph Canteloube, who took more than thirty years...
Farhad Mehrad: Booye Eydi

Farhad Mehrad: Booye Eydi

Today I bring you music from one of the most influential Iranian artists of all time, Farhad Mehrad. After rising to popularity in the years before and during the Iranian Revolution in the 70’s, he was banned from singing for several years. He began producing music...