Monthly Archives: August 2022

Episode 159. Forgotten Broadway II

August 26, 2022African American Singers, Broadway, Canadian Singers, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAlan Jay Lerner, Anton Coppola, Anyone Can Whistle, Cesare Siepi, Charles Strouse, Clay Warnick, Cy Coleman, David Atkinson, David Opatoshu, Dick Hyman, Dody Goodman, Donald Gramm, Dorothy Fields, Elaine Stritch, Ethel Ennis, Ezio Pinza, Fred Ebb, Frederick Loewe, Gary Geld, George Siravo, Hal Hackady, Harold Hastings, Harold Rome, Harry Guardino, Harry Pleva, Harvey Schmidt, Herbert Greene, Jack Cassidy, James Stenborg, Jane Powell, Jean Kerr, Jerry Herman, Jimmy Jones, Jimmy Van Heuse, Joan Ford, John Kander, Johnny Burke, Johnny Green, Joyce Brown, Lanny Meyers, Larry Grossman, Larry Kert, Lee Adams, Lee Remick, Lehman Engel, Leo Robin, Leonard Bernstein, Leroy Anderson, Linda Lavin, Louie Bellson, Mary Rodgers, Me and Juliet (Rodgers & Hammerstein), Melba Moore, Milton Kaye, Milton Schafer, Minnie’s Boys, Ogden Nash, Oscar Hammerstein II, Oscar Kosarin, Pat Suzuki, Pearl Bailey, Peter Udell, Rebecca Luker, Richard Rodgers, Richard Weiss, Rita Gardner, Robert Goulet, Rod Derefinko, Ron Raines, Ronny Graham, Sam Pottle, Sarah Fleming, Shannon Bolin, Sigmund Romberg, Skitch Henderson, Stephen Sondheim, Susan Johnson, Sylvan Levin, Sylvia Syms, Ted Thursday, Tom Jones, Vernon Duke, Walter Kerr, Walter Marks, William Raycountermelody

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The follow-up episode to my previous Forgotten Broadway episode is an epic one, chock full of fascinating composers, lyricists, performers and shows. We begin with a tribute to birthday boy Leonard Bernstein, a song from Peter Pan sung by gay Broadway icon Larry Kert. From there we encounter shows by Lerner and Loewe, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Kander and Ebb, Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields, Strouse and Adams, Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, Schmidt and Jones, Vernon Duke, Mary Rodgers, Sigmund Romberg, Harold Rome and Leroy Anderson, among others, performed by Jane Powell, Pat Suzuki, Melba Moore, Rita Gardner, Jack Cassidy, Rebecca Luker, Cesare Siepi, Susan Johnson, Dody Goodman, Pearl Bailey, Ezio Pinza, Elaine Stritch, Shannon Bolin, and others. Diverse topics discussed include the Broadway revue, queer subjects and performers, and the place of performers of color on Broadway. This is a long episode that I recommend listening to in segments! And please be aware that an equally mammoth third segment on Forgotten Broadway will be published this weekend for my Patreon supporters!

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. 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 celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Episode 158. Russell Oberlin

August 19, 2022Art Song, Full-Figured Baroque, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Queer Pride, Twentieth Century MusicA Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alexander Schneider, Alfonso el Sabio, Alfred Deller, Alice Parker, Anthony Lewis, Benjamin Britten, Bernard Krainis, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Charles Bressler, Claudio Monteverdi, countertenor, Daniel Arnault, Denis Stevens, Douglas Williams, François Couperin, Georg Solti, George Frideric Handel, Godric of Finchale, Henry Purcell, Hugo Wolf, Italienisches Liederbuch, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Blow, John Dowland, John Dunstable, John Ferrante, Joseph Iadone, Leonard Bernstein, Ludus Danielis, Martha Blackman, New York Pro Musica, Noah Greenberg, Paul Maynard, PDQ Bach, Peter Schickele, Robert Shaw, Russell Oberlin, Seymour Barab, St. Godric, Stoddard Lincoln, The Play of Daniel, Thomas Dunn, Troubador songs, William Byrdcountermelody

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Hearing the voice of countertenor Russell Oberlin (1928 – 2016) as a soloist with the Robert Shaw Chorale was one of the formative experiences of my early life. I doubt that I would ever have become a countertenor myself had it not been for that beacon of a voice as my shining ideal and example. Many years after his early retirement from singing he extended kindness and generosity to me in a way that has always remained with me. Since I have begun the podcast and with rare exceptions, I generally shy away from discussing other countertenors. Today I break my silence on the topic to present to you the greatest countertenor of them all in all his uniqueness. From his early days as a founding member of the New York Pro Musica and his series of medieval and renaissance music, through his electrifying stage appearances as Oberon in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, through his standard-setting appearances in Handel and his unexpected but charming expertise as a singer of art song and reciter of poetry: all these aspects of Oberlin’s versatility and artistry are herein represented. A special vocal guest is the tenor Charles Bressler (1926 – 1996), like Oberon a founding member of the New York Pro Musica, who is heard in four duets with Oberlin. Perhaps Oberlin’s greatest achievement lies in the simplicity and nobility of his performances of the music of Henry Purcell, who is also well-represented here. This episode is a must for all lovers of great singing in general and specifically for all who want to hear what well-equalized, technically balanced and secure countertenor singing sounds like.

Episode 157. Forgotten Broadway I

August 12, 2022African American Singers, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAdolph Green, Alan Bergman, Alfred Drake, Alice Playten, Angela Lansbury, Anton Coppola, Barbara Cook, Barbra Streisand, Beatrice Arthur, Ben Bagley, Betty Comden, Bob Merrill, Broadway, Bruce Coughlin, Buster Davis, Claibe Richardson, Daniel Gundlach, Dear World, Do I Hear a Waltz, Dolores Gray, Don Costa, Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope, Donald Pippin, Dorothea Freitag, Drat the Cat, Elisse Boyd, Ervin Drake, Ethel Merman, Flahooley, Fran Landesman, Fred Werner, Frederick Dvonch, Funny Girl, George Forrest, Happy Hunting, Harold Karr, Herbert Greene, High Spirits, Ira Levin, Jay Blackton, Jerry Herman, Jimmy Jones, John Alban Coughlan, John Williams, Jule Styne, June Carroll, Kenward Elmslie, Lehman Engel, Leslie Uggams, Lloyd Arriola, Marilyn Bergman, Matt Dubey, Maurice Levin, Micki Grant, Milton Schafer, Mimi Hines, Moises Vivanco, Murray Grand, musicals, Nancy Wilson, Peter Matz, Richard Marx, Richard Rodgers, Robert Wright, Roslyn Kind, Sally Ann Howes, Sergio Franchi, Sheldon Harnick, Shepard Coleman, Stephen Sondheim, Tammy Grimes, The Nervous Set, Tommy Wolf, Two on the Aisle, Yma Sumaccountermelody

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Today I begin Forgotten Broadway, a new miniseries within my summer series “Musical Life in New York City 1950-1975.” This wildly eclectic (some might say chaotic) program, the first of three, concerns itself with several different aspects of “forgotten” Broadway: forgotten songs, forgotten shows, and forgotten performers; as well as all imaginable combinations of the above. For instance, many might not remember the show Drat! the Cat! but will remember quite well the song “He [originally She] Touched Me.” Everyone remembers Ethel Merman and Angela Lansbury, but I would bet that fewer remember their less successful shows Happy Hunting and Dear World. This episode includes songs by Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne, Bob Merrill, Wright and Forrest, and Comden and Green, as well as lesser known composers and lyricists such as Claibe Richardson, Bill and Patti Jacob, and Ervin Drake, sung by such stalwarts as Leslie Uggams, Barbara Cook, Alfred Drake, and Barbra Streisand, as well as such blazing (but less remembered figures) such as Alice Playten, Dolores Gray, Mimi Hines, and June Carroll. Such recently departed figures as Micki Grant, Kenward Elmslie, Sally Ann Howes, and Donald Pippin also receive airplay. Part II will be published in two weeks, and Part III will soon be available as a bonus episode for my Patreon subscribers.

Episode 156. Barely Sang at the Met II

August 5, 2022Bel canto, Canadian Singers, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAlban Berg, Alberto Remedios, Alexander Gibson, Alfredo Catalani, Anne Howells, Arrigo Boito, Artur Rodzinski, Carlo Felice Cillario, Charles Bruck, Christel Goltz, Cosi fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Don Giovanni, Eberhard Wächter, Elektra (Strauss), Emanuel, Erna Schlüter, Frank Wedekind, Fromental Halévy, Gabriele d’Annunzio, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Giuseppe Patanè, Giuseppe Verdi, Herbert Häfner, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, I Masnadieri, Ildebrando Pizzetti, Ilona Steingruber, Jane Rhodes, Jean Bobescu, Joan Carden, Jorma Hynninen, Josef Greindl, Josephine Veasey, Jules Massenet, Kurt Herbert Adler, La forza del destino, Leopold Ludwig, Lorenzo da Ponte, Ludovic Spiess, Luisa Malagrida, Lulu (Berg), Manon (Massenet), Margherita Roberti, Maria Chiara, Marina Krilovici, Metropolitan Opera, Montserrat Caballé, Norma (Bellini), Okko Kamu, Oscar Wilde, Otello, Otto Wiener, Pekka Nuotio, Peter Maag, Ramón Vinay, Richard Verreau, Richard Wagner, Rudolf Moralt, Salome (Strauss), Schikaneder, Sergei Prokofiev, Shirley Verrett, Stafford Dean, Tannhäuser, The Fiery Angel (Prokofiev), Thomas Beecham, Tristan und Isolde, Vincenzo Bellini, Walburga Wegner, Wilfrid Pelletier, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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This week is the conclusion of my presentation on world-class singers who made a minimal number of appearances at the Metropolitan Opera. My arbitrary parameters for this episode were singers who appeared (approximately) between the years 1950 and 1975 and sang fewer than ten performances in total at that venerable institution. Among the artists featured are the British singers Josephine Veasey and Anne Howells (both of whom we lost earlier this year), as well as Stafford Dean and Alberto Remedios; the French-Canadian tenors Léopold Simoneau and Richard Verreau; the Romanians Ludovic Spiess and Marina Krilovici; the US-American dramatic coloratura Margherita Roberti; the Australian super-soprano Joan Carden; the Italian sopranos Maria Chiara and Luisa Malagrida; the French falcon Jane Rhodes; the Austrians Eberhard Wächter and Otto Wiener; the Finnish heldentenor Pekka Nuotio; and the Germans Josef Greindl, Walburga Wegner, Erna Schlüter and Christel Goltz. Met stalwarts Monserrat Caballé, Shirley Verrett, Ramón Vinay, and Jorma Hynninen are featured as vocal guest stars; conductors include such greats as Dimitri Mitroupoulos, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Thomas Beecham, Carlo Felice Cillario, and Arthur Rodziński..