My repertoire – a random choice of the basics I like most

I love to sing:

J.S. Bach, for just about anything he wrote for contralto – (in my next life, though, I’ll definitely arrange for coming back as a soprano to sing Blute nur, du liebes Herz, Matthäus-Passion)

Bwv 11 (Ascension), especially the Aria Ach bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben for its declamatory acrobatics
Bwv 63 for its overwhelmingly beautiful recitativo
Bwv 20 (first sunday after trinity) for the delicate intricacy of Oh Menschenkind, hör auf geschwind (duet contralto/tenor)

Robert Schumann Frauen, Liebe und Leben for its stellar beauty and bitter irony – genderwise anything but naive, if you ask me

Schubert, Bellini, Fauré, Debussy for the genius of Lied, canzoniere and mélodie

Brahms songs for their diligent use of the contralto voice. My ridiculously delicious dream of his Rhapsody:
singing those harsh verses from Goethes Harzreise to the schmaltz of a cymbalom-playing male chorus

Arnold Schönberg, mastering the Buch der hängenden Gärten is for 2026

Luciano Berio, Sequenza for being the mother of all contemporary singing

John Cage, The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs, for the challenge to accompany myself to the monotonous declamation of Joyce;
(His Aria is not for me, I leave this to Bravoura Divas.)

Aribert Reimann, Eingedunkelt: my catechism of meandering lines

Sofia Gubaidulina, Aus den Visionen der Hildegard von Bingen for its use of microtones and stark elevation

Igor Stravinsky, The Owl and the Pussy-Cat (1966) for showing us the way to lieta fine