Romanian composer Nicolae Bretan was in a sense a man without a country; considered Romanian as he lived and worked in Romania for the balance of his career, Bretan was born in Hungary and fluent in a bouquet of Eastern European languages in addition to German. That he was a composer of art songs is of interest, as his work in the genre -- collected into a single volume containing 218 songs -- reflects his various contacts and interests in Eastern European culture and the German-speaking world that, at the outset of his ...
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Romanian composer Nicolae Bretan was in a sense a man without a country; considered Romanian as he lived and worked in Romania for the balance of his career, Bretan was born in Hungary and fluent in a bouquet of Eastern European languages in addition to German. That he was a composer of art songs is of interest, as his work in the genre -- collected into a single volume containing 218 songs -- reflects his various contacts and interests in Eastern European culture and the German-speaking world that, at the outset of his long life, were all considered part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nimbus Records, which for more than a decade has served as the flashpoint for all things Nicolae Bretan, has put forth a serviceable selection of Bretan's songs as sung with enthusiasm and no small amount of artistry by Romanian bass-baritone Alexandru Agache on The Songs of Nicolae Bretan. Pianist Martin Berkofsky provides solid, but sensitive support to Agache throughout. This collection features 24 songs variously in...
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