Tag Archives: Alain Vanzo

Episode 167. Denise Duval

October 21, 2022Art Song, Comic Relief, French Opera, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Queer Pride, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAlain Vanzo, André Cluytens, André Messager, Camille Saint-Saens, Claude Debussy, Denise Duval, Emmerich Kálmán, Florent Schmitt, Franc-Nohain (Maurice Étienne Legrand), Francis Poulenc, Franz Lehár, Georges Pretre, Georges Tessier, Georges Tzipine, Guillaume Apollinaire, Hans Wilbrink, Hervé (Louis-Auguste-Florimond Ronger), Jacques Jansen, Jean Cocteau, Jean Fournet, Jean Giraudeau, Jean Pomarez, Joseph Peyron, Jules Gressier, L’heure espagnole, La voix humaine, Les dialogues des Carmélites, Les mamelles de Tirésias, Louis Durey, Louise de Vilmorin, Manuel Rosenthal, Marcel Cariven, Maurice Carême, Maurice Maeterlinck, Maurice Ravel, Michel Hamel, Pelleas et Melisande, Raymond Chevreux, Robert Massard, Robert Planquette, Suzanne Sarroca, Vittorio Guicountermelody

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Denise Duval, whose 101st birthday we posthumously commemorate on October 23, will forever be associated with the music of Francis Poulenc, and specifically his operas, in which the lead soprano roles were either created by her, or were written with her in mind. This episode not only presents Duval in excerpts, in live concert and stage performances, of all three roles: Thérèse in Les Mamelles de Tirésias, Blanche de la Force in Les Dialogues des Carmélites, and the unnamed heroine in his searing 1959 monodrama La voix humaine, alongside her performance in the world premiere of her final creation for Poulenc: the brief 1961 monologue La Dame de Monte-Carlo. But Duval was a versatile singer whose many and varied roles may surprise you. I present her also in both French and Viennese operettas by Lehár, Kálmán, Planquette, Messager, and Hervé, as well as operatic roles by Ravel, Debussy, and Saint-Saëns, concert works by Florent Schmitt and Louis Durey, and, from a joint recital with Poulenc, a breathtaking excerpt from Debussy’s Proses lyriques. Duval’s unusual voice and artistic profile defy classification, but this episode seeks to present as full a portrait as possible of this great singer and actor. Heard alongside Duval are tenors Jean Giraudeau, Alain Vanzo, Michel Hamel, and Jean Pomarez; baritones Jacques Jansen, Robert Massard, and Hans Wilbrink; and in an amusing turn, Francis Poulenc himself.

Episode 147. The Young Gabriel Bacquier

June 3, 2022Art Song, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Mirella Freni, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Twentieth Century MusicAlain Vanzo, Alberto Erede, André Gide, André Rivoire, Ariettes oubliées (Debussy), Armand Silvestre, Arrigo Boito, Benjamin Godard, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Ciboulette (Hahn), Claude Debussy, Darius Milhaud, Don Giovanni, Don Quichotte à Dulcinée, Eugène Cools, Félix Nuvolone, Fernando Previtali, Francis Poulenc, Franz Lehár, Gabriel Bacquier, Gabriel Faure, Georges Bizet, Giuseppe Verdi, Henri Duparc, Jacques Houtmann, Janine Ervil, Jean Laforge, Jean Lahor, Jésus Etchéverry, Johann Strauss II, Johann Strauss Sr., Le nozze di Figaro, Les pecheurs de perles, Lorenzo da Ponte, Manuel Rosenthal, Maurice Maeterlinck, Maurice Ravel, Mirella Freni, Orphée et Eurydice, Otello (Verdi), Paganini (Lehár), Paul Morand, Paul Verlaine, Pelleas et Melisande, Renate Holm, Reynaldo Hahn, Robert de Flers, Robert Desnos, Serge Baudo, Sigmund Romberg, Silvio Varviso, The Desert Song (Romberg), Tosca (Puccini), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yvonne Gallcountermelody

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Two years ago last month, the great French (bass-)baritone Gabriel Bacquier died just four days short of his 96th birthday. At that time I offered a brief memorial tribute which opened my eyes to aspects of his artistry and voice with which I had been previously unfamiliar. Like his near-contemporary, the Italian baritone Tito Gobbi, Bacquier was one of the supreme actors of the operatic stage, whose voice coarsened somewhat over the course of his long career, even as his mastery as an actor and interpreter increased. By the time he retired, his repertoire consisted almost entirely of buffo parts. But in the earliest years of his career (and also like Gobbi), he possessed a baritone of velvety beauty that might surprise those who know only his later comic roles. This episode, which commemorates the second anniversary of Bacquier’s death as well as his (posthumous) 98th birthday, focuses on the three different musical genres in which, in those early years, from 1953 through 1968, he excelled in equal measure: opera, of course, but also mélodie and operetta. The operatic portrayals represented include the title roles in Don Giovanni and Orphée et Eurydice; Zurga in Les Pêcheurs de perles; the Count in Le nozze di Figaro; Iago in Otello; Golaud; and his incomparable Scarpia, which he sang opposite every great Tosca of the 1960s with the exception of Callas. Complementing these live and studio recordings are recordings of melodies by Duparc, Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, and Poulenc; and operetta arias by Sigmund Romberg, Franz Lehár, Johann Strauss II, and Reynaldo Hahn, all deliciously sung in French. Vocal guest stars include Mirella Freni; Alain Vanzo; Bernard Demigny; Janine Ervil; Yvonne Gall, with whom Bacquier studied at the Conservatoire de Paris; and the late Renate Holm, the renowned German soubrette who died in April at the age of 90. In all this repertoire, Bacquier, who insisted on the appellation “acting singer” rather than “singing actor,” displays his commitment to clear yet full projection of text, which serves as a mirror into the music and not the other way around.

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 144. Mad about Mesplé

May 13, 2022Art Song, Comic Relief, Crossover, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century MusicAlain Vanzo, Aldo Ciccolini, Ambroise Thomas, André Messager, Ariadne auf Naxos, Armand Silvestre, Arnold Schoenberg, Bruno Amaducci, Charles Chaynes, Charles Gounod, Claude Debussy, Dalton Baldwin, Don Procopio, Erik Satie, Fiançailles pour rire, Francis Poulenc, Fritz Kreisler, Gabriel Bacquier, Gabriel Faure, Gabriel Tacchino, Georges Bizet, Georges Pretre, Gilbert Amy, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Hamlet (Thomas), Hugo von Hoffmansthal, Jacques Offenbach, Jane Berbié, Janine Reiss, Jean Cocteau, Jean Moréas, Jean-Claude Hartemann, Jean-Pierre Marty, La Dame de Monte-Carlo, Les trois valses, Louis Ganne, Louise de Vilmorin, Mady Mesple, Maurice Maeterlinck, Michel Dens, Michel Legrand, Michel Plasson, Michel Trempont, Mignon (Thomas), Orphée aux Enfers, Oscar Straus, Peter Maag, Pierre Dervaux, Reynaldo Hahn, Richard Strauss, Rigoletto, Stéphane Mallarmécountermelody

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Two years ago this month, the world lost the great French soprano Mady Mesplé at the age of 89. Celebrated as the finest French coloratura of her era (and one of the best examples ever of that dying breed), Mesplé was officially diagnosed in 1996 with Parkinson’s, which had already gravely affected her health for years. For me there is a personal connection here, as next week it is eleven years since my own father died of the same disease. The focus this week, however, is on not on Mesplé’s disease, but her extraordinary vocalism, musicianship, and versatility. Not only was she unmatched in the operatic repertoire for which she was justly celebrated, she was also a mistress of the mélodie, a charming interpreter of French operetta, and a fearless interpreter of contemporary repertoire. This episode examines her contributions in all of those genres, as well as celebrating her delicious expressions of musical humor, and her surprising depth, even profundity, in examining the darker recesses of human experience. On this episode, Mesplé is aided by fellow singers Gabriel Bacquier, Michel Dens, Jane Berbié, Alain Vanzo, and Michel Trempont; pianists Aldo Ciccolini, Jeanine Reiss, Dalton Baldwin, Gabriel Tacchino, and Michel Legrand; and conductors Georges Prêtre, Pierre Dervaux, Michel Plasson, Jean-Pierre Marty, Gilbert Amy, and Jean-Claude Hartemann.

Episode 136. Puccini en Français

March 18, 2022Canadian Singers, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, VerismoAlain Vanzo, Albert Lance, Albert Wolff, André Cluytens, Arthur Endrèze, Berthe Monmart, César Vezzani, Enrico di Mazzei, Erasmo Ghiglia, Eugène Bigot, Ferdinand Leitner, Gabriel Bacquier, Georges Jouatte, Georges Lauweryns, Georges Liccioni, Georges Pretre, Georges Thill, Georges Truc, Géori-Boué, Germaine Lubin, Germaine Martinelli, Giacomo Puccini, Gustave Cloëz, Jane Rhodes, Jean-Claude Hartemann, José Luccioni, Joseph Rogatchewsky, La Boheme, Lily Pons, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Manuel Rosenthal, Martha Angelici, Marthe Nespoulous, Michel Sénéchal, Michèle Le Bris, Ninon Vallin, Opéra de Paris, Opéra-Comique, Paul Finel, Raoul Jobin, Regine Crespin, Renée Doria, Robert Massard, Suzanne Sarroca, Tosca, Turandot, Yvonne Brothiercountermelody

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This week’s episode is a counterpart to my ongoing exploration of the practice of performing opera in translation which includes the “Verdi auf Deutsch” [www.countermelodypodcast.com/index.php/2021/10/17/episode-111-verdi-auf-deutsch] and “Polyglot Wagner” [www.countermelodypodcast.com/index.php/2020/11/29/episode-63-polyglot-wagner] episodes. With its soaring cantilena lines, Puccini’s music lends itself quite naturally to performance in French. The characteristics of the so-called “French school” of singing, with its frequent focus on bright-timbred, slightly nasal tonal production, lends Puccini’s music a peculiarly French quality when performed in that language. This episode features arias and duets from Madame Butterfly, La Vie de Bohème, and La Tosca, as they are known in French, supplemented by arias from Manon Lescaut and Turandot. These are sung by some of the most famous singers of the twentieth century (including Ninon Vallin, Georges Thill, Régine Crespin, Germaine Lubin, Gabriel Bacquier, Alain Vanzo, and Lily Pons) with contributions by equally impressive but less celebrated French, Corsican, and Belgian artists (including Yvonne Brothier, Berthe Monmart, César Vezzani, José Liccioni, Marthe Nespoulous, Paul Finel, Michèle Le Bris, Martha Angelici, Germaine Martinelli, Jane Rhodes, Georges Jouatte, and the long-lived Géori-Boué [1918-2017], Renée Doria [1921-2021], Suzanne Sarroca [b. 1927], and Robert Massard [b. 1925]). Also heard are foreign singers whose singing nevertheless defines the French method (the Australian Albert Lance, the Canadian Raoul Jobin, the US-American Arthur Endrèze, and the Ukrainian Joseph Rogatchewsky). This episode is a foretaste of a mini-series coming in May on great French lyric artists, including Mady Mesplé, Martial Singher, and Gabriel Bacquier.