Monthly Archives: August 2026

Episode 487. Jill Gomez In Memoriam

August 21, 2026Art Song, Bel canto, Comic Relief, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Gustav Mahler, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Opera in Translation, Orchestral Songs, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAchim von Arnim, Alberto Dominguez, Anatole France, Anthony Lewis, August Strindberg, Barry Wordsworth, Benjamin Britten, Benjamin Luxon, Chants d’Auvergne, Charles-Gaspard Delestre-Poirson, Claude Debussy, Claudio Monteverdi, Clemens Brentano, Colin Davis, David Atherton, David Matthews, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Die Rose Pilgerfahrt, Domenico Gilardoni, Don Giovanni, Erik Satie, Ernst Poettgen, Eugène Scribe, Felicity Palmer, Franz Grundheber, Gaetano Donizetti, George Frideric Handel, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Gustav Mahler, Hans George Ahrens, Henry Pacory, Hermann Levi, Hippolyte et Aricie, Howard Shelley, Hugo Wolf, Ian Partridge, Il giovedì grasso, Jacques Delacôte, Jean Baptiste Racine, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Jeff Atmajian, Jill Gomez, Joaquín Turina, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Carewe, John Dryden, John McCabe, Joseph Canteloube, Jules Massenet, Karel Aerts, Lorenzo da Ponte, Louis Frémaux, Louis Gallet, Martin Jones, Maurice Ravel, Michael Tippett, Milton Leeds, Miss Julie (Alwyn), Molière, Moritz Horn, Nicholas Kraemer, Notturni ed alba (McCabe), Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, Paul Heyse, Philip Hensher, Philip Ledger, Pierre Boulez, Poema en forma de canciones, Powder Her Face, Proses Lyriques, Ramòn de Campoamor, Ria Bollen, Robert Schumann, Robert Tear, Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, Spanisches Liederbuch, Stabat Mater (Pergolesi), Stéphane Mallarmé, Thaïs, The Knot Garden, Thomas Adès, Thomas McKinney, Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé, Ugo Benelli, Vernon Handley, Vespro della beata vergine, Vilem Tausky, W.H. Auden, Walther Dürr, William Alwyn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Gönnenweincountermelody

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Jill Gomez, the brilliant, intrepid Trinidadian-British soprano, known for the last fifteen years of her life as Jill Carnegy, Countess of Northesk, died on August 11, just a few weeks short of her 84th birthday. She is a singer that I have loved and followed for decades, and one whose recordings I collected assiduously and that I had earmarked for a special celebratory episode, one that, like with Ben Luxon a few years ago, is instead being offered as a posthumous tribute. Not nearly as universally known as her younger colleague Felicity Lott, who died this spring, Gomez was a similarly eclectic, adventurous artist. Her accomplishments covered the gamut from the classiest, most pristine singer of Baroque music, to the most deep-delving recitalist, from the most playful purveyor of crossover material to the creator of roles in challenging contemporary operas including Michael Tippett’s The Knot Garden in 1970 and Thomas Adès’s Powder Her Face 25 years later. She also sang a wide range of operatic parts (primarily in the UK) from Mozart to Massenet. This episode, which includes collaborations with Robert Tear, Pierre Boulez, Franz Grundheber, John Constable, Ria Bollen, Felicity Palmer, and Benjamin Luxon, presents as wide-ranging a portrait in sound as you are ever likely to encounter anywhere, including excerpts from all the works mentioned above, to music by Ravel, Donizetti, Turina, Mahler, Schumann, Rameau, Wolf, Monteverdi, Debussy, Pergolesi, and Britten. The icing on the cake is an intimate and exquisite rendition of Satie’s “Je te veux” that will remain in your mind’s ear long after the episode is over.

Countermelody is the 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 author 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 or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 486. The Other Maureen Forrester

August 14, 2026Alternate Universe Bel Canto, Art Song, Broadway, Canadian Singers, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, Great Contraltos, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Twentieth Century Music, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAndrew Davis, Carousel, Cole Porter, Dear World, Doug Riley, Folk Songs, Frank Loesser, George Gershwin, Gershon Kingsley, Gladys Rich, Guys and Dolls, Harold Arlen, Harvey Schmidt, Herbert Martin, Hubert Ithier, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jackie Rae, Jacques Offenbach, Jerome Kern, Jerry Herman, John Arpin, John Beckwith, John Jacob Niles, John Newmark, Johnny Mercer, Larry Trudell, Les parapluies de Cherbourg, Malcolm Forsyth, Maureen Forrester, Michael Leonard, Michel Legrand, Music in the Air, Norman Gimbel, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Gemignani, Richard Hoenith, Richard Rodgers, Robert Burns, Robert Fleming, Stephen Sondheim, The Fantasticks, The King and I, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Tom Jones, Victor Bouchard, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yehudi Wynercountermelody

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This episode celebrates one of the twentieth century’s great contraltos, Canadian icon, Maureen Forrester, an exceptionally versatile, profoundly communicative artist. This past July 25 would have been her 96th birthday. It would be a nearly insurmountable challenge to present all aspects of her artistry in a single episode, so today I have chosen to bestow upon her a title which might surprise you: I am crowning her Queen of Crossover. Clearly both Eileen and Eleanor might look askance at such a claim, but among Forrester’s fellow Canadians, I don’t think anyone can challenge Queen Maureen’s title. Central to this episode is a delicious 1982 issue on Canadian RCA entitled The Other Me, which features la nostra regina canadese in a delectable assortment of pop favorites, ranging from standards from the Great American Songbook (Berlin, Porter, Gershwin, Arlen, Schmidt and Jones, Loesser). In addition, I’ve included a generous sampling of her 1987 recording with pianist John Arpin entitled From Kern to Sondheim: Great American Theatre Songs, as well as a smattering of the folk song arrangements (mostly of Canadian material arranged by Canadian composers) which formed such a vital part of her programs. Her fellow grande dame of Canadian song, soprano Lois Marshall, even joins her in duet on one of those folk songs. I dedicate today’s episode to the memory of my friend Tom Muraco, who collaborated frequently with Maureen and positively adored her.

Episode 485. Anneliese Rothenberger singt Stolz und Lehár

August 8, 2026Broadway, Crossover, Great Tenors, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAlfred Grünwald, Alfred Maria Willner, Anneliese Rothenberger, Armin L. Robinson, Bela Jenbach, Carl Michalski, Das Land des Lächelns, Der Favorit, Der Graf von Luxemburg, Der Zarewitsch, Die lustige Witwe, Ein Tango für dich, Ernst Marischka, Eva, Franz Lehár, Friederike, Fritz Grünbaum, Fritz Löhner-Beda, Frühling im Prater, Frühlingsparade, Gabriela Zapolska, Giuditta, Henri Meilhac, Himmelblaue Träume, Im weißen Rößl, Leo Stein, Ludwig Herzer, Nicolai Gedda, Paganii, Paul Knepler, Robert Bodanzky, Robert Gilbert, Robert Stolz, Schön ist die Welt, Venus im Seide, Viktor Léon, Walter Reisch, Werner Schmidt-Boelcke, Wilhelm Sterk, Willy Mattes, Zigeunerliebe, Zwei Herzen im Dreivierteltaktcountermelody

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The theme of today’s episode is “escapism,” a valuable and even necessary pursuit in the world in which we find ourselves currently existing. What more glorious escapism could there be then Operettenlieder by composers Robert Stolz and Franz Lehár as performed by beloved German soprano Anneliese Rothenberger (1919 – 2010). She was one of the most prominent and glamorous musical figures in Germany by virtue of her resplendent voice and splendidly vivid performances, as well as her ubiquitous presence on German-language television in the 1970s. For today’s episode I draw primarily on two EMI releases,1969’s Anneliese Rothenberger singt Robert Stolz and 1970’s Anneliese Rothenberger singt Franz Lehár, the latter a compilation released in honor of Lehár’s 100th birthday, all recorded at various points in the 1960s. Along the way, I consider the lives and careers of both composers, and contrast Stolz’s authentic heroism during the Nazi era with Lehár’s sometimes egrerious opportunism. And yet, in keeping with today’s theme of escapism, the music of both of these composers provides us with a temporary respite from today’s cares, especially as performed by the resplendent Rothenberger.

Episode 484. Bubbles on the Nile, Handel Edition

August 1, 2026African American Singers, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2026, Claudia Muzio, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Ileana Cotrubas, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, NYCO Divas, Queer Pride, Renata Scotto, Singers of ColorAaron Hill, Adrian Boult, Alcina, Alma Gluck, Amadigi, Antoine Houdar de la Motte, Antonio Fanzaglia, Antonio Salvi, Ariodante, Arnold Gamson, Atalanta, Beverly Sills, Boris Christoff, Christa Ludwig, Christiane Eda-Pierre, Claudia Muzio, Elisabeth Rethberg, Elisario Valeriana, Florence Quartararo, Frieder Weissmann, Fritz Lehan, Gabriele Ferro, George Frideric Handel, Giacomo Francesco Bussani, Giacomo Rossi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Giulio Cesare, Grace Bumbry, Hanne-Lore Kuhse, Hans-Ludwig Hauck, Heinz Rückert, Helmut Hucke, Herbert Albert, Hercules, Horst-Tanu Margraf, Ileana Cotrubas, Jean Morel, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Jephtha, Johannes Somary, Judas Maccabaeus, Julius Rudel, Leontyne Price, Lotte Lehmann, Ludovico Ariosti, Ludovico Arosti, Martina Arroyo, Maurice Abravanel, Montserrat Caballé, Nicola Rescigno, Onelia Fineschi, Ovid, Radamisto, Raymond Leppard, Renata Scotto, Renata Tebaldi, Reri Grist, Riccardo Broschi, Rinaldo, Robert Shaw, Rudolf Seith, Ryan Edwards, Semele, Serse, Silvio Stampiglia, Sosarme, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Thomas Broughton, Thomas Morell, Torquato Tasso, Victoria de los Angeles, Virginia Zeani, Walter B. Rogers, William Congrevecountermelody

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Today’s episode is the second of my so-called “Bubbles on the Nile” series, performances by Beverly Sills (and a host of other divas) in unexpected roles. While the first episode drew on the contents of a 1985 release on the Legendary Recordings label with the same title, today’s episode focuses exclusively on the music of George Frideric Handel with an entirely Gundlach-generated setlist. Sills is featured not as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare, the role that made her a star, but in two other Handel roles which she only rarely performed: Ginevra in Ariodante, and the title role in Semele. There follow nearly two dozen additional singers singing unexpected Handel roles, beginning with Alma Gluck all the way back in 1916. Other singers include Claudia Muzio, Elisabeth Rethberg, Lotte Lehmann, Florence Quartararo, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Hanne-Lore Kuhse, Christa Ludwig, Ileana Cotrubaș, Christiane Eda-Pierre, Shirley Verrett, Martina Arroyo, Grace Bumbry, Victoria de los Ángeles, and Reri Grist. There is a special section featuring six unexpected performers of the role of Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare: Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price, Montserrat Caballé, Renata Scotto, Onelia Fineschi, and Virginia Zeani. Other Handel works represented include Rinaldo, Hercules, Alcina, Atalanta, Amadigi, Judas Maccabaeus, and Radamisto. Hearing these singers take a determinedly “old school” approach to Handel’s music is fascinating, diverting, challenging, sometimes amusing, and always revelatory. And overseeing it all is our beloved Bubbles!