Category Archives: NYCO Divas

Episode 315. Gilda Cruz-Romo

December 15, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Holiday Music, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Ah Perfido!, Alexandre Dumas fils, Amilcare Ponchielli, Andrea Chénier, Andrea Maffei, Ángel de Saavedra, Angelo Campori, Anna Bolena, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Arrigo Boito, Attila, Carlo Bergonzi, Carlo Felice Cillario, Carmen, Colenton Freeman, Domenico Oliva, Emerson Buckley, Ernani, Felice Romani, Francesco Maria Piave, Friedrich Schiller, Gaetano Donizetti, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, Herrera de la Fuente, Il Trovatore, John Alexander, Jorge del Moral, Joseph Rescigno, Julius Rudel, La Boheme, La forza del destino, Le nozze di Figaro, Lorenzo da Ponte, Ludovic Halévy, Ludwig van Beethoven, Luigi Illica, Luisa Miller, Macbeth, Manon Lescaut, Marco Praga, Martin Smith, Matteo Manuguerra, Nicola Rescigno, Nikki Giovanni, Norma, Peter Maag, Pierre Beaumarchais, Portia White, Prosper Mérimée, Renato Simoni, Riccardo Muti, Richard Karp, Richard Wagner, Salvadore Cammarano, Tannhäuser, Temistocle Solera, Tobia Gorrio, Turandot, Umberto Giordano, Victor Hugo, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Herbert, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zacharias Werner, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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While I was growing up, Gilda Cruz-Romo was a fixture on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. At the time, I did not fully appreciate her, as I thought of her as a second-string singer on the roster. I saw her once on the Met tour as Desdemona opposite Jon Vickers, but for reasons none too flattering to me, I undervalued her. In recent years, however, I have completely revised my opinion, and now think that Gilda Cruz-Romo was both the most significant Mexican soprano ever to appear on the world’s stages, but also simply one of the finest lirico-spinto sopranos of the twentieth centuries. Fortunately there are many people that agree with me, including some devoted fans who have posted an extraordinary number of live recordings of the artist on YouTube and elsewhere. And this is especially helpful because, incredibly, Cruz-Romo never made any commercial recordings. This episode fully explores the career and repertoire of our subject for today, and includes performances of the soprano in her core Verdi and Puccini repertoire (including such surprises as Odabella, Lady Macbeth, and Turandot!), as well as less expected forays into Mozart and bel canto. Throughout her virtues shine forth: a plangently beautiful voice with a particularly radiant top wedded to an incredibly secure technique, which afforded her enormous flexibility and coloratura facility. Added to this, and paramount to her artistry, is a dedication to her craft and to music which sweeps all before it and raises her work into the realm of the sublime. I think of this episode (the last completely new episode I’ll be putting out this season) as a pre-birthday tribute, as the diva turns 85 years old on February 12, 2025. Other singers heard on the episode are tenors Carlo Bergonzi, Colenton Freeman, and John Alexander, and baritone Matteo Manuguerra; among the conductors are Zubin Mehta, Nicola Rescigno, Riccardo Muti, Peter Maag, and Julius Rudel.

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 or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 289. Meet Vera Little

September 15, 2024African American Singers, Bel canto, Black History Month 2024, Forgotten Divas, Great Contraltos, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAlberto Erede, Andrès Wheatley, Anna Bolena, Anneliese Rothenberger, Barry McDaniel, Chester Kallman, Christoph von Dohnányi, Daphne, Die Bassariden, Eberhard Wächter, Euripides, Felice Romani, Florence Price, Gaetano Donizetti, Hans Werner Henze, Harry T. Burleigh, Helmut Reinold, Herbert Prikopa, Hilde Güden, Igor Stravinsky, Ingeborg Bachmann, Joseph Gregor, Karl Böhm, Kostas Paskalis, Loren Driscoll, Maria Bosse-Sporleder, Oscar Danon, Richard Strauss, Spirituals, Teresa Żylis-Gara, The Bassarids, The Rake’s Progress, Vera Little, Vera Little-Augustithis, W.H. Auden, Waldemar Kmentt, Wilhelm Hauff, William Hogarthcountermelody

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On Monday June 3, 2024, a new memorial plaque commemorating African American mezzo-soprano Vera Little (10 December 1928 – 24 October 2012) was unveiled at her former residence in Berlin’s Charlottenburg neighborhood. Little is remembered today as the first Black singer to appear as Carmen on the stage of Berlin’s Städtische Oper, soon to be renamed the Deutsche Oper Berlin. At the time of that appearance there were cries and protests about her hiring instead of an “equally capable” German singer. And yet, when Little returned to the stage of the Deutsche Oper in 1963, now singing the role of Amneris, she became one of the central singers in the ensemble of that company, being named a Kammersängerin there in 1970. This episode examines the life and career of Vera Little, from her birth in Memphis through her decades-long residence in Berlin. It is a fascinating, circuitous path, and one which is documented only sporadically on recording. On this episode, I play excerpts from Little’s only solo recording, a 1957 Decca records release of spirituals recorded in France, as well as her recordings on Deutsche Grammophon of Der junge Lord by Hans Werner Henze, and Richard Strauss’s Daphne. In addition, there are live recordings of Little singing Baba the Turk in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Giovanna Seymour in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, and Beroe in Henze’s Die Bassariden, which Little created in its 1966 world premiere at the Salzburg Festival. Vera Little was also an author, who published four books of memoir and poetry, and just yesterday I obtained a copy of her first book, 1978’s Tears in My Eyes, from which I read a number of excerpts. I had known Little’s name for decades, but had never fully explored her legacy before. It is here (and on an accompanying bonus episode) my honor and privilege to present a great (and somewhat forgotten) artist for your delectation. Today’s vocal guest stars include Kostas Paskalis, Hilde Güden, Anneliese Rothenberger, and Teresa Żylis-Gara.

Episode 283. Betty Allen

August 25, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Black History Month 2024, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Contraltos, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Singers of Color, Spirituals, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAdele Addison, Adolf Holst, Aida, Alexander Nevsky, Allen Ohmes, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Auguste Bey, Benjamin Matthews, Betty Allen, Carlo Pepoli, Carmen Balthrop, Charles Jennens, Charles Wendt, Christian Friedrich Henrici, David Garvey, Didier Gold, Ella Eure-Eaton, Eugene Ormandy, Four Saints in Three Acts, George Frideric Handel, Gertrude Stein, Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Verdi, Gunther Schuller, Gwendolyn Bradley, Hildegard Hillebrecht, Horst Stein, I Puritani, Il tabarro, Israel in Egypt, Joel Thome, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Corigliano, John DeMain, John Ferrell, John Troutbeck, Joseph de Vaughn, Karl Forster, Karl Wagenfeld, Karl Weigl, Leonard Bernstein, Leontyne Price, Matthäus-Passion, Nicolai Gedda, Nino Sanzogno, Paul Boepple, Picander, Praises and Prayers (Thomson), Richard Bonynge, Robert Mandell, Scott Joplin, Serge Prokofiev, St. Augustine, St. Matthew Passion, Treemonisha, Vincenzo Bellini, Virgil Thomson, Vladimir Lugovsky, William Penn, William Preucilcountermelody

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Betty Allen has been featured on countless omnibus Countermelody episodes, but it’s time for her to get her own episode! Born in Ohio on 17 March, 1927, she died at the age of 82 on 22 June 2009. Not only did Betty Allen possess a voice of significant power and amplitude, she was a superb musician who channeled her soul into her singing, using her superb technique to convey depth of meaning in all the music she sang. She also had a wide repertoire, excelling in opera, concert, and recital. Though her recorded legacy is relatively small, it is superb and significant. Today’s episode samples a cross-section of her recordings, both live and studio, and includes collaborations with Leonard Bernstein, Nicolai Gedda, Eugene Ormandy, Carmen Balthrop, Horst Stein, Leontyne Price, Virgil Thomson, John DeMain, Hildegard Hillebrecht, Richard Bonynge, and Adele Addison. She was a powerful force for good in the musical world, as an educator and advocate as well, succeeding Dorothy Maynor in leading the Harlem School of the Arts, where she served as both executive director and president. Many currently active singers have been touched by the stringent generosity of this fine artist, and it is my honor to pay tribute to her today.

Episode 271. Muriel Smith (Listeners’ Favorites)

July 11, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Broadway, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, In Memoriam, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Muriel Smith, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Operetta, Pop Icons, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAlan Thornhill, Angela Morley, Carmen Jones, Daniel Kelly, Dorothy Fields, Géo Koger, George Fraser, Georges Auric, Georges Bizet, Harry Noble, Jacques Larue, Jimmy McHugh, Lambert Williamson, Loulou Gasté, Marc Blitzstein, Muriel Smith, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Dehn, Paul Dunlap, Reginald Burston, Richard Rodgers, Sonny Miller, South Pacific, Spirituals, The King and I, William Shakespearecountermelody

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As I embark on several weeks of vacation, I bring you the first of several episodes from the early years of the podcast in between the new episodes that I will produce with somewhat less frequency between now and September. This week I am honored to bring to you the first of two episodes from the Season One of Countermelody which introduced my listeners to the great African American 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.

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 270. Eleanor Steber Revisited

July 5, 2024Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Queer Pride, Rescue Mission, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAl Goodman, Al Vann, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfred Bachelet, Allen Rogers, Augustus Toplady, Barron Smith, Bernard Zaslav, Brian Sullivan, Buddy DeSylva, Carlo Gozzi, Carlo Zangarini, Cesare Sterbini, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Claude Debussy, David Belasco, David Broekman, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Dimitri Mitropoulos, DuBose Heyward, Édouard Guinand, Edwin Biltcliffe, Eleanor Steber, Eugène Adénis-Colombeau, Francesco Maria Piave, Francis Scott Key, Frank Loesser, Frederick Flaxington Harker, Fritz Stiedry, George Gershwin, Giacomo Puccini, Gian Carlo Menotti, Giangiacom Guelfi, Gioachino Rossini, Giovanni Battista Guarini, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Verdi, Guelfo Civinini, Hector Berlioz, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Hugo Wolf, Igor Kipnis, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Ira Gershwin, James Melton, Jean-Philippe Rameau, John Stafford Smith, Juan López de Úbeda, Jussi Bjorling, L’enfant prodigue, La Fanciulla del West, La Traviata, Les nuits d’été, Lilla Kalman, Lohengrin, Maytime (Romberg). Harold Barlow, Nelson Eddy, Oklahoma!, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Heyse, Pembroke Davenport, Pierre Beaumarchais, Porgy and Bess, Renato Simoni, Richard Rodgers, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Rida Johnson Young, Robert K. Evans, Robert Katscher, Rosalind Elias, Rupert Brooke, Samuel Barber, Sigmund Romberg, Sonya Monsoff, Spanisches Liederbuch, Sterling Hunkins, Théophile Gautier, Thomas Hastings, Turandot, Vanessa (Barber), Where’s Charley?, Wilfrid Pelletier, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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I sat in my apartment in Berlin on the Fourth of July wondering how, after the events of this past Monday, I can possibly pay tribute to our nation as it “celebrated” its birthday. Then it hit me: since I would never in a million years produce an episode of patriotic musical material, why not pay tribute to a great American singer instead? I had already been planning an upcoming bonus episode on ELEANOR STEBER, the singer I consider to be one of the greatest (if not the greatest) soprano that our country has ever produced! Nearly two years ago, with the help of my dear friend Michelle Oesterle, who was Eleanor’s step-daughter, I produced an episode dedicated to her; today’s episode will not delve so much into the (still-controversial) person that Eleanor was, but rather offer a cross-section, over the course of more than 40 years, of the wide variety of styles and repertoire in which Steber excelled. Who else could traverse a range of repertoire from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Mozart, Rameau to Wagner, Berlioz to Romberg with such ease and joyful authority? Not only do I explore her longevity, I explore her unparalleled prowess as a vocal technician; as well as her well-documented bad treatment by the Metropolitan Opera and its then-general manager, Rudolf Bing. I also look at the recordings that Steber and her then-husband, Michelle’s father, produced on their own ST/AND label in the early sixties, and then hear Steber sing some quintessentially American music from classic musicals. Along the way, I consider some serious topics, including betrayal, alcoholism, and the power of embedded memory. Finally, I consider the possibility that Eleanor Steber’s celebrated portrayal of Minnie in La fanciulla del West might just offer a possible solution for the divisiveness and political turmoil in which our country currently finds itself. Featured guest singers on the episode include Nelson Eddy, Brian Sullivan, Rosalind Elias, and Jussi Björling; musical collaborators include Dimitri Mitropoulos, Igor Kipnis, Allen Rogers, Fritz Stiedry, and her frequent concert and radio collaborators Howard Barlow and Edwin Biltcliffe.

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 266. Sisters in Sapho (Listeners’ Favorites)

June 14, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Crossover, Drag Performance, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Gustav Mahler, Ileana Cotrubas, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Margaret Price, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Operetta, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Queer Pride, Richard Strauss, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAchille de Lauzières, Achim von Arnim, Aida, Alban Berg, Aldous Huxley, Alessandro Scarlatti, Alfred Hennequin, Alfred-Charlemagne Delacour, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Aribert Reimann, Ariodante, Arleen Augér, Auguste Mariette, Bernice Johnson Reagon, BIGLovely, Brigitte Fassbaender, Camille du Locle, Carl Mathieu Lange, Cecilia Gasdia, Clemens Brentano, Cord Garben, Cosi fan tutte, Cris Williamson, Deidre McCalla, Der Rosenkavalier, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Don Carlo, Donato Renzetti, Dusty Springfield, Erik Werba, Felice Romani, Felix Mendelssohn, Ferron, Francesco Cavalli, Frank Wedekind, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Cerha, Friedrich Schiller, George Frideric Handel, Georges Pretre, Giovanni Faustini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gundula Janowitz, Gustav Mahler, Heinrich Heine, Heinrich von Waldberg, Holly Near, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ileana Cotrubas, James Levine, Janet Baker, Janis Ian, Johann Gabriel Seidl, John Wustman, Joseph Méry, Konstantin Balmont, Krzysztof Penderecki, Kurt Eichhorn, Kurt Weill, La Calisto, La Clemenza di Tito, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lulu, Marek Janowski, Margaret Price, Margie Adam, Maurice Ravel, Meg Christian, Meshell Ndegenocello, Nicolai Gedda, Pietro Metastasio, Raymond Leppard, Reri Grist, Riccardo Muti, Richard Heuberger, Richard Strauss, Robert Lloyd, Ronnie Gilbert, Serge Rachmaninov, Tatiana Troyanos, Toshi Reagon, Victor Léon, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Mehring, Willy Mattes, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallischcountermelody

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It’s been a whirlwind of a week chez Gundlach and I find myself at the end of it without a new episode ready to post. In addition to that, we are already halfway through Pride Month and I realized this morning that I had no new queer material up my sleeve. So I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do: I am going to get to work on a brand new episode which will post sometime early next week. But in the meantime, I’m going to do my own Listener’s Favorite episode, one which I posted during the very first season of Countermelody, a wondrous compilation entitled “Sisters in Sappho.” It features not only two of my favorite mezzos of all time (Tatiana Troyanos and Brigitte Fassbaender – both of whom happen to have been lesbians); but also a sampling of the key figures in the Women’s Music Movement of the 1970s, including Meg Christian, Cris Williamson, Margie Adam, Holly Near, and Deidre McCalla. In celebrating these pop icons, I also pay tribute to those who, in turn, paved the way for them, including icons Janis Ian, Dusty Springfield, and Ronnie Gilbert, as well as tipping my hat to two of the queer Black singers (Toshi Reagon, Meshell Ndegeocello), that followed in the wake of these women. We all owe an enormous debt of gratitude to these extraordinary artists, who paved the way for us, their musical and artistic descendants, at the same time setting standards that will stand the test of time. Vocal guest stars include Janet Baker, Ileana Cotrubas, Cecilia Gasdia, Nicolai Gedda, Margaret Price, Gundula Janowitz, Arleen Augér, and Reri Grist.

Episode 246. Previn Moore Introduces Camilla Williams and Janet Williams (Listeners’ Favorites)

February 28, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Broadway, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Interview, Lieder, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Schubert, Twentieth Century MusicAida, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Berliner Staatsoper, Boris Bezala, Camilla Williams, Celius Dougherty, Detroit, Du Bose Heyward, Francis Poulenc, Franz Schubert, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Georges Bizet, Giuseppe Verdi, Ira Gershwin, Janet Williams, Jules Massenet, Laszlo Halasz, Léo Delibes, Les pecheurs de perles, Louis Aragon, Manon, MGM Records, New York City Opera, Porgy and Bess, Semele, Spirituals, Undine Smith Moorecountermelody

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As the final entry in this year’s Black History Month episodes, my dear friend Previn Moore introduces his Listeners’ Favorites choice, an episode I published in the early months of Countermelody back in the fall of 2019. It features two phenomenal Black sopranos whose friendship and mentorship Previn outlines in detail in an introductory interview I did with him at his home in Vienna this past week. This episode features the phenomenal, the legendary, the pathbreaking soprano Camilla Williams (1919-2012), whom Previn first met as a young tenor at Indiana University’s School of Music, where Miss Williams was the first African American teacher of singing to serve on the faculty. While there, Previn also formed a lifelong friendship with Camilla’s student, Janet Williams, who herself went on to a brilliant worldwide career, including twelve years as a leading soprano with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden here in Berlin. Janet and I met as fellow students in the Merola Opera Program of the San Francisco Opera and it has been my joy and a privilege to share a treasured friendship with her ever since. In tribute to both of these extraordinary sopranos, I offer a cache of rare studio recordings by Camilla Williams, supplemented by live material sung by Janet Williams from the artist’s private archives. Included among the selections are excerpts from Camilla’s rarely-heard album of spirituals on the MGM Records label, and a concert given by Janet Williams in her home town of Detroit in 1989, capped by a stunning rendition of Undine Smith Moore’s arrangement of the spiritual “Watch and Pray,” dedicated to Camilla Williams. Many thanks to Previn, Janet, and the extraordinary Camilla Williams for their shining examples and for their dedicated artistry.

Episode 244. Veronica Tyler (BHM 2024)

February 23, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Comic Relief, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Lieder, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Singers of Color, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartArthur Gold, Carmen, Charles Bressler, Die Zauberflöte, Du Bose Heyward, Emanuel Schikaneder, Erich Leinsdorf, Ernest Ragogini, Florence Price, Georg Friedrich Daumer, George Gershwin, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini Luigi Illica, Gian Carlo Menotti, Giuseppe Giacosa, Gregory Millar, Gustave Charpentier, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, Hermann Prey, Ira Gershwin, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johannes Brahms, John Boyden, John Reardon, Julius Rudel, La Boheme, Leoanrd Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Louise (Charpentier), Ludovic Halévy, Porgy and Bess, Prosper Mérimée, Regina Sarfaty, Robert Fizdale, Robert Schumann, Spirituals, Szene aus Goethes Faust (Schumann), Veronica Tyler, Warren Wilson, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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This Countermelody episode is the last in my miniseries featuring artists from Baltimore. It is also the last in my new episodes for Black History Month 2024 featuring “Forgotten Divas.” Today I offer to you the absolutely divine soprano of Veronica Tyler (1939-2020), who fits all three categories. In the 1960s, Veronica Tyler was a name on everyone’s lips: she appeared on three different episodes of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts, she was the second prize winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1966, the first time this venerable contest had featured singers, she was a featured artist at the New York City Opera, where, in their first season at Lincoln Center, she sang a Pamina in The Magic Flute of such humanity and transcendent vocal beauty that audiences were transported into another world. She sang under conductors Leopold Stokowski, Erich Leinsdorf, Zubin Mehta, Eugene Ormandy, Carlo Maria Giulini, Robert Shaw, and Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. Later on she made a belated Met debut in 1985 as Serena in their premiere production of Porgy and Bess, but gradually her high profile appearances became fewer and fewer and eventually she disappeared from view. Her death on 21 March 2020 was only announced three months later, and with little fanfare. But during her heyday, Veronica Tyler was among the most elegant, compelling, and ingratiating lyric sopranos in the business. I have scoured the archives to bring to light some of the artist’s most beautiful performances, some of them virtually unheard for decades, including a 1980 album of spirituals that ranks among the best of this repertoire ever committed to disc. What inexpressible joy it brings me to present to you the unforgettable Veronica Tyler!

Episode 239. Gwendolyn Killebrew (BHM 2024)

February 8, 2024African American Singers, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Canadian Singers, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Gustav Mahler, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Orchestral Songs, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAgostino Manni, Agostino Piovene, Andrea Chénier, Antal Dorati, Anton de Ridder, Antonín Dvořák, Antonio Somma, Barbara Scherler, Béatrice et Bénédict, Berislav Klobučar, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Bohumil Gregor, Božena Němcová, Carlo Bergonzi, Claudio Nicolai, Die Soldaten (Zimmermann), Die Walküre, Edgar (Puccini), Edith Kertész-Gabry, Emilio de’ Cavalieri, Eugène Scribe, Eve Queler, Ferdinando Fontana, Francis Poulenc, Friedrich Lenz, Friedrich Nietzsche, Gail Gilmore, Gary Bertini, George Darden, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Harald Stamm, Hector Berlioz, Heinrich von Kleist, Heinz Wallberg, Hermann Prey, Hiroshi Wagusaki, Ira Gershwin, James Levine, Jaromír Weinberger, Jaroslav Kvapil, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Moriarty, Joseph Haydn, Karel Jaromír Erben, La fraîcheur et le feu, Leonard Bernstein, Lodovico Ariosto, Luigi Illica, Magnificat (Bach), Maureen Forrester, Maurice Ravel, Max Brod, Miloš Kareš, Nicola Haym, Nicolas Pradon, Nunziano Porta, Oh Kay!, Orlando Paladino (Haydn), Othmar Schoeck, Otto-Werner Mueller, Paul Éluard, Penthesilea (Schoeck), Peter Erckens, Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo, Richard Wagner, Rusalka (Dvořák), Seiji Ozawa, Shéhérazade, Sherrill Milnes, Stuart Burrows, Tamerlano (Handel), Teresa Stratas, Thomas Muraco, Tristan Klingsor, Umberto Giordano, Un ballo in maschera, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, William Shakespearecountermelody

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This week’s “Forgotten Diva” is the mezzo-soprano / contralto Gwendolyn Killebrew (26 August 1941 – 24 December 2021), who made an indelible contribution to opera in particular during the active years of her career (1965 – 2009). Though the majority of her career was centered at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, she sang the world over with some of the most important opera companies (including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Bayreuth, Washington Opera, Santa Fe Opera, La Monnaie, and the Bayerische Staatsoper), conductors (Pierre Boulez, Gary Bertini, Michael Gielen, Herbert von Karajan, Zubin Mehta, Georg Solti), and stage directors (Patrice Chéreau, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, August Everding, Giancarlo del Monaco, Christof Loy, and John Dew). She had an enormous repertoire from Monteverdi and Handel to Henze and Fortner, excelling in particular in various Wagner roles. She was also a superb actor, who, through the use minimal gestures and stage business, made an enormous impact. This episode presents her in a wide range of material, including both live and commercial recordings ranging from Cavalieri to Zimmermann, alongside such fellow singers as Teresa Stratas, Carlo Bergonzi, Hermann Prey, Stuart Burrows, Sherrill Milnes, and Gail Gilmore led by conductors Leonard Bernstein, Gary Bertini, Bohumil Gregor, Berislav Klobučar, James Levine, Heinz Wallberg, and Eve Queler. Of special interest is a rare live recording of her prize-winning performance of “Asie” from Ravel’s Shéhérazade at the 1967 International Voice Competition in Montréal. The episode opens with brief memorial tributes to soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez and pianist Thomas Muraco.

Episode 233 – Dusty Pörn Introduces Eleanor Steber (Listeners’ Favorites IV)

January 10, 2024Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Interview, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlban Berg, Alexandre Dumas, Arabella, Astrid Varnay, Cosi fan tutte, David Belasco, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Dusty Pörn, Edwin Biltcliffe, Eleanor Steber, Enzo Viaro, Eric Coates, Ernani, Fausto Cleva, Frederick Weatherly, Fritz Busch, Fritz Stiedry, Georg Büchner, George London, Giuseppe Antonicelli, Giuseppe di Stefano, Howard Barlow, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, I Puritani, Il Trovatore, James A. Bland, James Agee, Jean Madeira, Joseph Keilberth, Jussi Bjorling, Karl Böhm, La Fanciulla del West, La Traviata, Lohengrin, Madama Butterfly, Mario del Monaco, Max Rudolf, Naughty Marietta, Nicholas Harsanyi, Percy Faith, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Risë Stevens, Royden Barrie, Rudolf Kempe, Samuel Barber, Victor Herbert, Victor Hugo, Vincenzo Bellini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wozzeckcountermelody

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Today’s subject is Eleanor Steber, certainly one of the greatest and most versatile of American sopranos. She is introduced by one of the most recent (and most colorful) of all of my listeners, the San Francisco-based drag artiste (and vocalist extraordinaire) Dusty Pörn. In this very special episode, which I first posted in the summer of 2022 in honor of Steber’s 108th birthday, musical selections from across the duration of Steber’s long career, are supplemented by the generous and loving commentary of my friend, singer and conductor Michelle Oesterle, who was Eleanor’s stepdaughter. As such Michelle spent time (especially in the summer months) with her father and Eleanor at Melodie Hill, Eleanor’s estate on Long Island. She provides us with an unparalleled intimate portrait of Eleanor as woman and as singer and describes the profound influence that Eleanor had in her life, as well as the characteristics that combined to make her the profoundly appealing and moving interpreter that she was. She also addresses the white elephant in the room, that is, Eleanor’s alcoholism, and makes a plea for tolerance and understanding vis-à-vis this serious disease. Many thanks to both Dusty and Michelle for their loving and perceptive tributes to this greatest of singers and artists.

Episode 227. A Golden Age Christmas

December 9, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Great Tenors, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Renata Scotto, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century MusicAdolphe Adam, Alexis Contant, Alphonse Daudet, André d’Arkor, André Kostelanetz, Anton Guadagno, Arthur Bergh, Beverly Sills, Cesar Franck, Charles Gilibert, Clarence Dickinson, Dalton Baldwin, Dorothy Maynor, Douglas Gamley, Easthope Martin, Eddie Sauer, Elena Gerhardt, Elisabeth Schumann, Elly Ameling, Elsa Alsen, Erik Werba, Franz Xaver Gruber, Frederick G. Martens, George Frideric Handel, Giovanni Martinelli, Herbert von Karajan, Irmgard Seefried, Joan Sutherland, John Henry Hopkins Jr., John McCormack, Joseph Mohr, Leontyne Price, Lotte Lehmann, Louis H. Redner, Margarete Matzenauer, Martin Boelitz, Max Bloch, Max Reger, Nathaniel Shilkret, Olive Fremstad, Peter Cornelius, Phillips Brooks, Phyllis Curtin, Pietro Yon, Renata Tebaldi, Richard Bonynge, Richard Crooks, Richard Lert, Robert McGimsey, Rosario Bourdoncountermelody

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In the midst of our recent move, I came across a stash of old “mixtapes” (actually CDs and much other archival material. One such item which particularly moved me was one entitled “A Golden Age Christmas 2003” which I handed out to my colleagues and friends twenty years ago. Looking over the tracklist, I realized that this was a sort of early iteration of Countermelody: me sharing music that I particularly loved with people that I cared about. Today’s podcast uses as its basis that same CD (slightly trimmed in length) and features performances by a glorious group of singers ranging from Olive Fremstad, Charles Gilibert, and Margarete Matzenauer from the early years of the twentieth century to such later favorites as Elly Ameling, Beverly Sills, and Leontyne Price. I can’t guarantee that this episode will put you in the holiday spirit, but I sure hope it does!

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 226. Maria Callas: Singer of the Century

December 3, 2023Bel canto, Canadian Singers, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Queer Pride, Renata Scotto, Singers of ColorAmilcare Ponchielli, Andrea Chénier, Angela Vercelli, Anna Bolena, Antonino Votto, Carmen, Cesare Valletti, Dario Caselli, Fausto Cleva, Franco Corelli, Gabriella Carturan, Gaetano Donizetti, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, Giacomo Vaghi, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Gianni Raimondi, Giuseppe Verdi, Herbert von Karajan, I Puritani, I vespri siciliani, Jeffrey Tate, Jon Vickers, La Gioconda, La sonnambula, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Ludwig van Beethoven, Macbeth (Verdi), Maria Callas, Medea (Cherubini), Mirto Picchi, Nicola Rescigno, Norma (Bellini), Plinio Clabassi, Robert Sutherland, Tosca, Umberto Giordano, Victor de Sabata, Vincenzo Bellini, Vittorio Guicountermelody

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What is there to say about today’s featured artist, Maria Callas, who was born 100 years ago today? So many of my esteemed colleagues are weighing in with their Callas tributes today (both encyclopedic and deeply perceptive and knowledgeable) and there are all varieties of reconstituted Callas material also suddenly appearing, from newly-colorized films of Callas in action to virtual concerts with Maria as hologram, to some new biopic (goddess forbid!), to audio remasterings both laudable and ridiculous. I have nothing comparably “new” or erudite to add to the mix, so can only offer an episode predicated on my encounters with the voice and artistry of Maria Callas. There is no singer in the history of opera more important to me (and, I daresay, to opera in general) than Callas, who revolutionized bel canto and set completely new standards for every type of role she sang. I have chosen from among my favorite (live) Callas material to supplement my musings, going as far back as her Norma and Macbeth in 1952 and as late as her 1974 comeback and her last recording, made the year before her untimely death. In these musical excerpts, La Divina is joined by tenor colleagues (and Countermelody favorites) Cesare Valletti, Jon Vickers, and Franco Corelli. As I listened to Callas this week, I remarked anew at her creative genius, which sprang primarily from faithfulness to the written score, and a burning need to make every phrase she intoned “say something.” May this episode be as cathartic a listening experience for you as it was for me in preparing it. Maria per sempre!

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 217. Patricia Neway Revisited

October 4, 2023Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Twentieth Century MusicAndrea Maffei, Arnold Black, Dieterich Buxtehude, Donald Homuth, Ezio Cappelli, Frederick Dvonch, Giuseppe Verdi, Herman Chessid, Ippolito Pindemonte, Jacopo Vittorelli, James Joyce, Jerome Kern, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Gruen, Lehman Engel, Lorenzi Stecchetti, Luigi Balestra, Mary Martin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach, Patricia Neway, Pietro Mascagni, Pietro Metastasio, Renata Scotto, Richard Rodgers, Robert Colston, Rocco Emanuele Pagliara, Stephen Douglass, The Sound of Music, Thomas Mayer, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Baracchicountermelody

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Today I revisit the artistry of the great Patricia Neway (1919-2012), a singer of extraordinary versatility, dramatic power, and musical sensibility. She is no doubt most famous for two of her Broadway creations: the role of the beleaguered Magda Sorel in Gian Carlo Menotti’s tragic opera The Consul, first produced on Broadway in 1950, and of the Mother Abbess in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s final musical, 1959’s The Sound of Music. But the genesis for this episode was my recent discovery of her rare 1953 album of Italian art songs. Her voice was an unusual one, dusky yet capable of extraordinary colors, chiaroscuro, leggerezza, and agility, all of which are foregrounded in the aforementioned album of songs by Bellini, Verdi, and Mascagni. I also include a few brief excerpts of Neway singing material ranging from a sacred cantata by Buxtehude to settings of texts by James Joyce to a refined yet playful rendition of “My Favorite Things.” Of which she is definitely one!

The episode opens with a tribute to James Jorden, who died on October 3.

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 173. Orchesterlieder I

December 2, 2022Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mirella Freni, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century MusicAlain Lombard, Alberto Ginastera, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Alphons Diepenbrock, André Caplet, André Jolivet, Andrzej Hiolski, Antal Dorati, Antoine Golea, Antonín Dvořák, Arthur Loosli, Bernard Kruysen, Bohumil Gregor, Brian Priestman, Charles Baudelaire, Charles Panzéra, Christoph von Dohnányi, Colette Herzog, Ernst Hermann Meyer, Francisco Araiza, Frank Martin, Franz Kafka, Franz Schreker, Giuseppe Martucci, Gundula Janowitz, Gwyneth Jones, Hans Effenberger, Hans Reisinger, Helen Donath, Herbert Kegel, Hermann Scherchen, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Irene Gubrud, Jan Krenz, Jean Sibelius, Kalevala, Karan Armstrong, Karl Friedrich Henckell, Kurt Sanderling, Lorin Maazel, Louis Fürnberg, Luonnotor, Mirella Freni, Ned Rorem, Nikolaus Lenau, Othmar Schoeck, Peter Schreier, Phyllis Curtin, Piero Coppola, Rabindranath Tagore, Rémy de Gourmont, Riccardo Muti, Richard Stamp, Richard Strauss, Roberto Abbado, Rocco Emanuele Pagliara, Tadeusz Baird, Theo Adam, Theo Loosli, Walt Whitman, Willem van Otterloo, William Shakespeare, Yi-Kwei Szecountermelody

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This week is the first of a series of episodes focusing on songs with orchestral accompaniment. The genre is almost a contradiction in terms: the intimacy and textual focus of art song with the sometimes strenuous vocal demands of singing over an orchestra. The most celebrated and successful of such songs (by Berlioz, Mahler, Ravel, Barber, Strauss, and others) are heard over and over on symphonic concerts when vocal soloists are the featured guests. And rightly so, for they are among the most glorious classical music written for the human voice. Typically for Countermelody, however, today’s episode, however, will focus on repertoire and composers that are less celebrated to the point of being virtually unknown. Composers heard include Frank Martin, Alexander Zemlinsky, Jean Sibelius, Giuseppe Martucci, Franz Schreker, Othmar Schoeck, Antonín Dvořák, Alberto Ginastera, Alphons Diepenbrock and the two Andrés, Jolivet and Caplet, alongside many others, performed by such favorites as Gwyneth Jones, Phyllis Curtin, Peter Schreier, Gundula Janowitz, Yi-Kwei Sze, Mirella Freni, Francisco Araiza, Elisabeth Söderström, and Bernard Kruysen. Also heard are Helen Donath and Andrzej Hiolski, singers soon to be featured on their own episodes, alongside lesser-remembered names such as Arthur Loosli, Irene Gubrud, and Colette Herzog. Conductors include Kurt Sanderling, Antal Doráti, Herbert Kegel, Bohumil Gregor, Hermann Scherchen, and Lorin Maazel. I “guarantee” that your ears will be enchanted and your musical horizons will be expanded by this episode.

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 172. Ned Rorem In Memoriam

November 25, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAdolph Green, Anita Darian, Ann Schein, Betty Comden, Beverly Wolff, David Triestram, Dolores Ziegler, Donal Nold, Donald Gramm, Donald Sulzen, Eugene Istomin, Frank O’Hara, Howard Moss, John Ashbery, John Stewart, Joseph Rabbai, Kurt Ollmann, Laura Aikin, Leonard Bernstein, Marie-Laure de Noailles, Martina Arroyo, Monique McDonald, Ned Rorem, Paul Goodman, Paul Monette, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Phyllis Curtin, Regina Sarfaty, Robert Louis Stevenson, Roberta Alexander, Rufus Müller, Ryan Edwards, Sandra Walker, Steven Blier, Sylvia Plath, Theodore Roethke, Walt Whitman, William Penncountermelody

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Greetings to all from my former home of Manhattan! Upon landing here a week ago, I was greeted by the news of the death of Ned Rorem, the man previously known as “America’s Greatest Living Composer,” who just last month had celebrated his 99th birthday. Though he won the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 1976 for his orchestral work Air Music, Rorem was most celebrated for his vocal music, in particular his art songs. In this episode, I will delve into that aspect of his output, from his earliest published work to his extraordinary late masterpiece Evidence of Things Not Seen. The episode features singers who collaborated closely with the composer, including Phyllis Curtin, Donald Gramm, Beverly Wolff, Regina Sarfaty, Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Kurt Ollmann, and others. Many other singers were also drawn to Rorem’s songs, including Leontyne Price, Jan DeGaetani, Martina Arroyo, and Laura Aikin, all of whom are represented here. As celebrated as a frank and forthright diarist and essayist as he was as a composer, Rorem (like his British counterpart Benjamin Britten) had extraordinary taste in the poetry and texts he chose to set. In this episode alone, we hear compositions set to words of Sylvia Plath, Paul Goodman, Walt Whitman, Paul Monette, Theodore Roethke, Frank O’Hara, and others. The episode concludes with a tribute to another musician who died earlier the same day, the American collaborative pianist David Triestram, who accompanies his dear colleague and friend Roberta Alexander in Leonard Bernstein’s poignant and timely song “Some Other Time.”

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 171. November Birthday Gals

November 18, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Canadian Singers, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Operetta, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAllen Rogers, Amelita Galli-Curci, André Kostelanetz, Andre Previn, Aniara (Blomdahl), Barbara Hendricks, Béla Bartók, Beverly Wolff, Bonnie Bramlett, Bonnie Raitt, Caterina Mancini, Chi Coltrane, Delaney Bramlett, Dora Leen, Dory Langdon Previn. kd lang, Emmerich Kálmán, Emmi Varasdy, Erik Linegren, Federico García Lorca, Felix Mendelssohn, Fernando Previtali, Francis Poulenc, Franz Schreker, Genevieve Touraine, Gerald Moore, Giuseppe Verdi, Gräfin Mariza, Harawi, Harry Martinson, Heinrich Heine, Henry Bishop, Irwin Gage, Jackson Browne, Jacques Offenbach, Joan Sutherland, Joaquín Valverde, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Prine, Joni Mitchell, Julia Hamari, Karl Engel, Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Kjerstin Dellert, La battaglia di Legnano, Lawrence Foster, Leon Russell, Louis Spohr, Lucia Popp, Malcolm Martineau, Mária Basilides, Maria Stader, Marie-Madeleine Petit, Marietta Simpson, Maurice Ravel, Michèle Command, Ned Rorem, Olivier Messiaen, Pierrette Alarie, Richard Bonynge, Robert Shaw, Salvatore Cammarano, Saramae Endich, Sylvester Stewart, Theodore Roethke, Tina Turner, Victoria de los Angeles, Werner Janssen, William Walton, William Wordsworth, Yvonne Kenny, Zoltán Kodálycountermelody

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Tomorrow morning I leave for three weeks and I’ve been desperately trying to come up with topics that would be a bit easier to produce while I’m away. What could be easier than birthdays for this month and next? Well… leave it to your intrepid producer to make that as complicated as it could be. But there’s a good reason: so many exceptional singers have birthdays this month and next! In fact, November is so chock full of such artists that I decided to focus exclusively on the Birthday Girls. And what a lineup! Iconic divas like Joan Sutherland and Victoria de los Ángeles; tragically short-lived singers like Saramae Endich and the beloved Lucia Popp; forgotten artists like Kjerstin Dellert, Caterina Mancini, and Geneviève Touraine; exceptional Black artists like Barbara Hendricks and Marietta Simpson: all are represented. And let’s not forget the pop divas, both celebrated (Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt), and less well-remembered (Chi Coltrane, Bonnie Bramlett). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. So lift a glass, cut a piece of Geburtstagkuchen, and tune in to Countermelody in celebration of these exceptional women! [n.b. This episode was posted before the death of Ned Rorem, who will be properly commemorated in next week’s episode.]

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 168. The Haunted (Opera) House

October 28, 2022African American Singers, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAldous Huxley, Alejo Pérez, Anna Moffo, Antonín Dvořák, Benjamin Britten Henry James, Bernard Ładysz, Bohumil Gregor, Božena Němcová, Charles Bruck, Charles de Coster, Charles Wilson, Chester Kallman, Claudio Guastalla, Der Schmied von Gent, Die Teufel von Loudun, Doktor Faust, Emanuel Balaban, Eugene Conley, Ferruccio Busoni, Francesco Molinar-Pradelli, Franz Schreker, George Shirley, Gian Carlo Menotti, Hans Sotin, Hans Wiers-Jenssen, Hilde Güden, Horst Wilhelm, Igor Stravinsky, James Levine, Jane Rhodes, Jaroslav Kvapil, Jascha Horenstein, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Corigliano, Karel Jaromír Erben, Krzysztof Penderecki, La Fiamma (Respighi), Leigh Melrose, Mack Harrell, Mara Coleva, Maralin Niska, Marek Janowski, Marie Powers, Myfanwy Piper, Ottorino Respighi, Pierre Beaumarchais, Rusalka (Dvořák). Gwendolyn Killebrew, Serge Prokofiev, Tatiana Troyanos, Teresa Stratas, The Fiery Angel, The Ghosts of Versailles, The Medium (Menotti), The Rake’s Progress, The Turn of the Screw (Britten), uvu Mpofu, Valery Bryusov, W.H. Auden, William M. Hoffman, Xavier Deprazcountermelody

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This week’s episode celebrates Halloween while at the same time initiating my new ongoing series on Twentieth Century Opera. From Dvořák’s Rusalka, premiered in Prague in 1901, through Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, premiered in New York in 1991, there is a wealth of operatic material, some barely remembered today, that touches upon various aspects of the occult, be that witches, devils, exorcisms, demonic possessions, or those that conjure the dead. Alongside the aforementioned works, this episode also features work by Benjamin Britten, Gian Carlo Menotti, Igor Stravinsky, Ferruccio Busoni, Franz Schreker, Serge Prokofiev, Ottorino Respighi, and Krzysztof Penderecki, performed by Teresa Stratas. Tatiana Troyanos, George Shirley, Anna Moffo, Mack Harrell, Maralin Niska, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Jane Rhodes, and others in performances recorded between 1949 and… nearly yesterday. Some of it is folksy, some humorous, some creepy, some horrific, but it is peopled by characters that either haunt or are haunted.

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 165. Giuseppe Verdi: A Libran Birthday Tribute

October 7, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Canadian Singers, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Singers of ColorAchille de Lauzières, Aida, Alan Titus, Alberto Erede, Alexandre Dumas, Alfredo Simonetto, Alzira, Andrea Maffei, Antonino Tonini, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Antonio Sommo, Arrigo Boito, Attila, Bruno Reibold, Bryan Balkwill, Camilla Williams, Camille du Locle, Carlo Felice Cillario, Christoph von Dohnányi, Claramae Turner, Colin Davis, Delia Rigal, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Don Carlo, Edda Moser, Elizabeth Connell, Eugène Scribe, Falstaff, Francesco Maria Piave, Francisco Araiza, Francisco Casanova, František Jílek, Friedrich Schiller, Galina Vishnevskaya, Georg Singer, Giovanna d’Arco, Giulietta Simionato, Giuseppe Verdi, Guido Cantelli, Hana Janků, Igor Gorin, Ion Buzea, Irene Dalis, Irmgard Seefried, Jean Bobescu, John Alexander, Jon Vickers, Josef Dünnwald, Joseph Méry, Juan Emilio Martini, Julius Rudel, Karl Böhm, La forza del destino, La Traviata, Lamberto Gardelli, Laszlo Halasz, Luciano Pavarotti, Nabucco, New York City Opera, Nino Verchi, Otello, Requiem (Verdi), Rigoletto, Rolando Panerai, Sena Jurinac, Speranza Scappucci, Temistocle Solera, Tito Gobbi, Un ballo in maschera, Vasile Moldoveanu, Victor Hugo, Virginia Zeani, Voltaire, William Shakespearecountermelody

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The great Giuseppe Verdi was born this week in 1813. Since his birthday occurs in the same week as mine, and since I firmly believe that I was a Verdi soprano in a former life, I am paying tribute to him this week with a series of excerpts from his works performed by exceptional singers whose birthdays also occur in the month of October. It’s astounding how many great Verdi singers were born at the time of the harvest moon: Luciano Pavarotti, Tito Gobbi, Camilla Williams, Jon Vickers, Rolando Panerai, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sena Jurinac, and many, many more. I have assembled a setlist featuring more than 20 such singers, including more than a few surprises (the young Irmgard Seefried singing the soprano solo in the Requiem; and a few choice artists that you may have forgotten about, among them Irene Dalis, Delia Rigal, and John Alexander). This whole month will be a birthday extravaganza and this is a marvelous way to start off the celebration, if I do say so myself!

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 163. Season Four Preview

September 23, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Great Baritones, Gustav Mahler, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Verismo, Voiceless WondersAbe Polakoff, Albert Willemetz, Alec Wilder, Alfred Heller, André Girard, André Jolivet, André Mauprey, André Messager, Andrée Esposito, Andrzej Hiolski, Anna Moffo, Arnold Sundgaard, Carl Tillius, Carol Litvin, Carol Neblett, Das Land des Lächelns, Denise Duval, Don Costa, Donal Nold, Doru Popovici, Eduard Mörike, Eleanor Steber, Enrico DiGiuseppe, Ernst Kozub, Federico García Lorca, Franz Lehár, Franz Schreker, Frasquita (Lehár), Fritz Jahoda, Gabriel Bacquier, Gerald Moore, Gerard Souzay, Gertrude Grob-Prandl, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Giacomo Puccini, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Gustav Mahler, Hans Willi Häusslein, Heinrich Isaac, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Helen Donath, Helena Christenko, Henry Wright, Hermann Scherchen, Hugo Wolf, Hugues Cuenod, Igor Kipnis, Jacques Leguerney, Jean Laforge, Jean Marietti, Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur, Joaquín Nin, Joel Cohen, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Judith Raskin, Julius Rudel, Kurt Ollmann, La Boheme, La Fanciulla del West, Louis Emié, Manuel Rosenthal, Marina Krilovici, Martina Arroyo, Mary Dibbern, Max Lichtegg, Meinhard von Zallinger, Michael Devlin, Milton Kaye, Nicolai Gedda, Oskar Merikanto, Pierre de Ronsard, Raymond Chevreux, Richard Volkmann, Robert Massard, Robert Schumann, Roberta Alexander, Sammy Davis Jr., Shannon Bolin, Sonny Curtis, Viktor Sund, Walt Whitman, William Ledbettercountermelody

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Today Countermelody is in limbo: balanced between Seasons Three and Four. Over the past few months I’ve been planning the course of the upcoming season and this episode consists of musical tidbits (bocconcini, if you will) of some of the singers and themed series that I am planning for Season Four. Included are retrospectives of singers Judith Raskin, Roberta Alexander, Sammy Davis, Jr., Helen Donath, Hugues Cuénod, Anna Moffo, Denise Duval, and Nicolai Gedda, all of whom are “sampled” today. I’m also planning programs on; “Great Singers We’ve Never Heard Of;” the music of Alec Wilder; the Black male singer as European émigré; “Behind the Iron Curtain;” explorations of both Orchestral Songs and Rare Twentieth-Century Operas; and “Great Singers in Old Age;” as well as, naturally, a closer examination of many of those New York City Opera divas to whom I provided an introduction last week. The new season will also be more interactive, with livestream interviews planned with various fascinating (and legendary!) figures in the world of opera and classical music. Thanks to all for your continued support, friendship, and listenership; see you next week for the debut of Season Four of Countermelody!

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 162. NYCO Divas: An Introduction

September 16, 2022African American Singers, Bel canto, Broadway, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAlexander Borodin, Anne Elgar, Anton Guadagno, Ariadne auf Naxos, Arthur Miller, Benvenuto Cellini, Beverly Sills, Brenda Lewis, Camilla Williams, Carlisle Floyd, Carol Brice, Carol Neblett, Charles Gounod, Charles Wilson, Christopher Keene, Douglas Moore, Ellen Faull, Emerson Buckley, Faust, Frances Bible, Gustav Meier, Hector Berlioz, Herbert Beattie, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jack Beeson, Johanna Meier, John LaTouche, Jules Massenet, Julius Rudel, Kenward Elmslie, Laszlo Halasz, Lillian Hellman, Lizzie Borden (Beeson and Elmslie), Lydia Ibarrondo, Manon, Maralin Niska, Marc Blitzstein, New York City Opera, Olivia Stapp, Patricia Brooks, Patricia Wells, Patricia Wise, Phyllis Curtin, Prince Igor, Regina, Richard Strauss, Robert Ward, Samuel Krachmalnick, Sarah Caldwell, Susannah, The Ballad of Baby Doe, The Crucible, Veronica Tyler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Today is the final regular episode of Season Three of Countermelody, as well as the last of my summer series documenting musical life in New York City during the years 1950 through 1975. I am thrilled to start what I hope will be an occasional series of episodes that will drop throughout Season Four, which begins in two weeks. I present to you a small sampling of the extraordinary singing actors that peopled the stage of New York City Opera during the years in question. The most famous of these, of course, is Beverly Sills, and she is aptly represented in her most radiant early prime. But there are many other singers as well, including African American divas Carol Brice and Veronica Tyler, preceded by Camilla Williams (the first Black singer to be awarded a standing contract with a major US opera company… in 1946!). City Opera was celebrated for presenting an absolute slew of new American work in its heyday, and we hear works by Carlilse Floyd, Robert Ward, Douglas Moore, Marc Blitzstein, and Jack Beeson in performances by Phyllis Curtin, Frances Bible, Brenda Lewis, and Ellen Faull. Other divas strutting their stuff include Olivia Stapp, Johanna Meier, and the three mesdames Patricia: Brooks, Wells, and Wise. The episode is capped by some of the rarest live recordings from the stage of City Opera by three singers who made their mark during their heyday, and would be the biggest stars in the world were they singing today: Gilda Cruz-Romo, Maralin Niska, and Carol Neblett, all of whom will be featured in her own episode during Countermelody’s upcoming season. A fitting way to end Season Three, as well as a harbinger of vocal delights to come! (Next week will be a preview of the upcoming season!)

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.