Monthly Archives: February 2020

Episode 23. Lawrence Winters and Robert McFerrin (Black History Month IV)

February 23, 2020African American Singers, BHM2023WK3, Black History Month, Broadway, Crossover, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Needle Drop, Operetta, Protest Songs, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAdele Addison, Bess You Is My Woman Now, Bonanza Theme Song, Call Me Mister, Camilla Williams, Fausto Cleva, Grace de la Cruz, Hall Johnson, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Harold Rome, I Loves You Porgy, Kurt Weill, Langston Hughes, Laszlo Halasz, Laurel Hurley, Lawrence Winters, Lehman Engel, Lost in the Stars, Maria Stader, Marie Powers, Porgy and Bess, Rigoletto, RobertMcFerrin, Spirituals, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, The Red Ball Express, Todd Duncan, Troubled Island, William Grant Still; George Gershwin; Ira Gershwin; DuBose Heywardcountermelody

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Episode 23 – Winters and McFerrin: A Tale of Two Baritones (Black History Month IV)

Today’s episode, the fourth in a sequence honoring African American singers, this one pays tribute to two great baritones, Lawrence Winters (1915-1965) and Robert McFerrin (1921-2006). Winters was a trailblazer on records and on stage at the New York City Opera and in major German opera houses; while McFerrin, the first African American male to sing a major role at the Metropolitan Opera, made his debut in 1955 as Amonasro in Aida three weeks after Marian Anderson made history on the same stage as the first black solo singer to perform there. This episode examines the early life and rise to prominence of each singer; the role that Porgy played in the careers of both singers; and each one’s credentials as a Verdi baritone par excellence. Highlights include an excerpt from William Grant Still’s opera Troubled Island, which premiered at NYCO in 1949, and a memorable cache of spirituals recordings from both singers. Guest aritsts heard on this episode include Todd Duncan, Camilla Williams, Marie Powers, Maria Stader, Adele Addison, Laurel Hurley, and Grace de la Cruz.

Countermelody is a new podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please also visit the Countermelody website for updates, additional content, and to pledge your support. www.countermelodypodcast.com

Episode 22. Gloria Davy (Black History Month III)

February 16, 2020African American Singers, BHM2023WK1, Black History Month, MusicA Picnic Cantata, Aida, Al Howard, Anna Bolena, Arnold Gamson, Arthur Gold, Auf dem Kirchhofe, Benjamin Britten, Cavalleria Rusticana, Cesar Franck, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Erich Leinsdorf, Giorgio Favaretto, Giorgio Tozzi, Giuseppe Verdi, Gloria Davy, Gloria Wynder, Henry Purcell, Il Trovatore, James Schuyler, Jess Thomas, Johannes Brahms, Jonas Kulka, Julia Perry, Karl Böhm, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Leontyne Price, Les Illuminations, Man is for the Woman Made, Mareda Gaither, Martha Flowers, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, Mirella Freni, Momenten, Nelly Sachs, New York Philomusica Chamber Ensemble, Nicolai Gedda, O the Chimneys, Paul Bowles, Pierre Mollet, Rébecca (Franck), Robert Fizdale, Sándor Kónya, Sergiu Celibidache, Shulamit Ran, Spirituals, The Magic Flute, Town Hall New Yorkcountermelody

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Today we examine the fascinating and somewhat frustrating career of Gloria Davy (1931-2012). Yet another African American singer who found greater opportunity abroad than in the United States, Davy has the distinction of being the first Black singer to perform the title role of Verdi’s Aida at the Metropolitan Opera, which role served as her debut in 1958. Another early career success came when she replaced Leontyne Price as Bess in an international tour of Porgy and Bess. Her earliest recordings, both live and studio, reveal a voice of uncommon beauty with an interpretive sensitivity to match. A superb musician, Davy also sang contemporary music throughout her career, including important premieres by Hans Werner Henze and Karlheinz Stockhausen. One must ask the question, however, if her voice would have been better served had she not turned to sung Bess and Aida so early in her career, but had instead had access to roles such as Anna Bolena, which she sang brilliantly at Town Hall in New York in 1957. The episode includes a rare airing of Davy’s 1956 album of Spirituals, in arrangements by the lesser-known African American composer Julia Perry and excerpts from her recordings of Shulamit Ran’s O the Chimneys, on poems by Nelly Sachs, and the 1972 revision of Stockhausen’s momentous Momente.

Episode 21. Charles Holland (Black History Month II)

February 8, 2020African American Singers, BHM2023WK4, Black History Month, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAirborne Symphony, Al Jolson, Après un rêve, Arthur Goldschmidt, Au fond du temple saint, Benny Carter, Charles Gounod, Charles Holland, Cinq mélodies de Venise, Clair de lune, Dennis Russell Davies, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, En sourdine, Fi-Yer!, Fletcher Henderson, Four Saints in Three Acts, Frank Morgan, Gabriel Faure, George Frideric Handel, Gertrude Stein, Hall Johnson, Harlem Madness, Harry de Groot, Honor Honor, Hullabaloo (1940), Jack P. Loorij, Jacqueline Bonneau, Langston Hughes, Laurie Anderson, Leo Driehuys, Leonard Bernstein, Les pecheurs de perles, Live a-Humble, Marc Blitzstein, Marco Bakker, Morgenlich leuchtend, My Mammy, New Born Again, O Superman, Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire, Peanuts Holland, Prepare Me One Body, Ralph Linsey, Robert Shaw, Roland Hayes, Roméo et Juliette, Semele, Spirituals, Talk About a Child That Do Love Jesus, Virgil Thomsoncountermelody

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Today’s episode, the second in my Black History Month series, is a tribute to the extraordinary African American tenor Charles Holland (1909-1987) whose career spanned more than four decades. Early appearances as a vocalist with the band of Luther Henderson and the Hall Johnson Negro Choir led to his Hollywood film debut and to appearances on the Broadway stage. In 1949, frustrated with the lack of career opportunities for an African American tenor, Charles Holland departed for Europe, where he enjoyed a distinguished career. Late in his life he experienced an extraordinary career resurgence through an association with American conductor Dennis Russell Davies, which led to his belated Carnegie Hall solo recital debut in 1982 at the age of 73, as well as serving as the inspiration for Laurie Anderson’s surprise 1981 pop hit, O Superman. Musical excerpts include live and studio recordings over more than 40 years and a wide swath of genres.

Episode 20. Muriel Smith (Black History Month I)

February 2, 2020African American Singers, BHM2023WK4, Black History Month, Broadway, Mezzo Madness, Muriel Smith, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Singers of Color, SmithBHMWK4, Twentieth Century MusicBali Hai, Black History Month, Bloody Mary, Carmen Jones, Displaced (The DP), Dorothy Fields, Drury Lane Theatre, Geo Kroger, Georges Auric, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me, Honor Honor, Howard Pollack, Jimmy McHugh, John Huston, Juanita Hall, Lady Thiang, Loulou Gasté, Marc Blitzstein, Moulin Rouge, Muriel Smith, Muriel Smith Sings Negro Spirituals, Orpheus with his Lute, Oscar Hammerstein II, Philips Records, Richard Rodgers, Sojourner Truth, Something Wonderful, South Pacific, Spirituals, The Cradle Will Rock, The King and I, Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?, Zsa Zsa Gaborcountermelody

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This week kicks off my series of Black History Month episodes, in which I pay homage to some less well-remembered African American singers who nonetheless made an enormous impact in the world of music. This week I am honored to bring to you the great mezzo-soprano Muriel Smith (1923-1985) who, among other important contributions, premiered the title role of Carmen Jones on Broadway in 1943. We examine her work in musicals and films as well as pop music and opera. Her eclecticism, her ability to color her voice in a way uniquely suited to the wide range of roles she undertook, as well as her deep connection to text and expression, mark her as an artist of the highest caliber. Featured is a rare 1955 Philips recording of spirituals represents Muriel Smith at her artistic and interpretive peak.