The German-Italian composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (a pupil of Josef Rheinberger) enjoyed great success with his comic operas at the beginning of the 20th century. His early work Die neugierigen Frauen (Inquisitive Women), which premiered in Munich in 1903, was later performed under Toscanini at New York’s Met. Wolf-Ferrari’s work reflects that fact that he grew up with two nationalities. The Otto cori for mixed choir display his attachment to the traditional forms of Italian music (madrigals, stornello, rispetto etc.) and are largely based on Tuscan folksong texts. Exploring love, longing, and death, Wolf-Ferrari’s Otto cori are both humorous and sophisticated, featuring piquant harmonies and varied instrumentation. Into this collection of Italian poems, Wolf-Ferrari smuggled a German-language song, which he had already composed in Munich when studying under Rheinberger.

Carus is presenting these songs as a collection – in print and digital versions. All songs are available as separate editions.