Traduttore… traditore?

A Viennese operetta in Swedish? Poems from ancient Greece in English? Bartók’s songs in German, Verdi’s arias in French? To mark International Translation Day on September 30th (the feast day of Saint Jerome, patron saint of translators, who rendered the Vulgate into Latin from the original Hebrew) this collection explores vocal works adapted into languages other than their own.

Extremely common until the mid-20th century, both on stage and on record, this practice eventually waned with the arrival of surtitles in opera houses. Whether closely faithful or freely reimagined, these adaptations allow us to hear familiar masterworks with fresh ears. Alongside these translated adaptations, this compilation also features art songs and choral works composed in their original versions - yet crafted from translated texts, such as Ravel’s Greek folk melodies or Wolf’s Italian Songbook.