Tag Archives: Alberto Ginastera

Episode 365. Flying Down to Rio (Latin American Song II)

June 6, 2025Canadian Singers, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Orchestral Songs, Protest Songs, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Young SingersAgainst the Grain Ensemble, Alberto Ginastera, Alejandro Casona, Alexander Sevastian, Ayre (Golijov), Barbara Allen, Biella Da Costa, Bomarzo, Brian Priestman, Cantata para América Mágica, Carlos López Buchardo, Carol Gimbel, Christian Baldini, Christopher Dylan Herbert, Dan Brantigan, Dan Wions, Dave Burns, David Grossman, Dawn Upshaw, Don Rodrigo, Elmer Ferrer, Emily Dickinson, Falling Out of Time (Golijov), Floro Melitón Ugarte, Francesco Ignazio Mannu, Franz Kafka, Gabriel Radford, Gino Nastrucci, Gisèle Ben-Dor, Gustavo Caraballo, Henri Djian, Henri Temianka, Hina Spani, Ilana Davidson, Jacques Demarny, James Baker, Jean Musy, Jered Egan, Jeremy Flower, Joanne Wu, Johnny Gandelsman, Jonathan Bagg, Juan Gabriel Olivares, Karen Ouzounian, Kathe Jarka, Kayhan Kalhor, Krastian Toczko, Laura Gilbert, Lúa Descolorida. Nadine Sierra, Manuel Mujica Lainez, Mazz Swift, Melchiorre Murenu, Mercedes de Toro, Milena, Miriam Khalil, Mónica Ferracani, Nicholas Cords, Nicole Croisille, Nora Fischer, Phyllis Curtin, Raphael Weinroth-Browne, Raquel Adonaylo, Rayanne Dupuis, Robert Spano, Roberto Occhipinti, Rosalía de Castro, Shane Shanahan, Shawn Conley, Silkroad Ensemble, Stefan Asbury, Todd Palmer, Virginia Tola, Wu Man, Wu Tongcountermelody

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Today is the second part of my Latin American orchestral song tribute. Last week we explored Villa-Lobos and Revueltas; today we devote ourselves to Argentina, and primarily two composers: Alberto Ginastera, and Osvaldo Golijov, in settings by writers as varied as Emily Dickinson, Rosalía de Castro, Manuel Mujica Lainez, David Grossman, Mercedes de Toro, Alejandro Casona, and Franz Kafka; performed by Hina Spani, Phyllis Curtin, Dawn Upshaw, Nadine Sierra, Virginia Tola, Mónica Ferracani, and Miriam Khalil, among others, alongside three artists (Rayanne Dupuis, Christopher Dylan Herbert, and Ilana Davidson) who happen to be friends and colleagues of mine. The episode begins with memorial tributes to iconic writer Edmund White and beloved French singer Nicole Croisille, both of whom died this week.

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 363. Orchestral Song of Latin America, Part 1

May 31, 2025African American Singers, Alternate Universe Bel Canto, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century MusicAlberto Ginastera, Alceo Bocchino, Ana Maria Martinez, André Kostelanetz, Aurora Natola, Ayre (Golijov), Bachianas Brasileiras, Bidu Sayao, Bomarzo, Brian Priestman, Cantata para América Mágica, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, Christopher Dylan Herbert, Cinco canciones populares argentinas, Daniel Castañeda, Dawn Upshaw, Dora Vasconcelos, Emily Dickinson, Enrique Arturo Diemecke, Federico García Lorca, Floresta do Amazonas, Francesco Ignazio Mannu, Gisèle Ben-Dor, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Henri Temianka, Henrique Morelenbaum, Ilana Davidson, Irma González, Jesús Suaste, Lourdes Amerez, Luis Herrera de la Fuente, Manuel Bandeira, Manuel M. Ponce, Manuel Mujica Lainez, Margarita Pruneda, Maria Lúcia Godoy, Maura Moreira, Melchiorre Murenu, Milena (Ginastera), Miriam Khalil, Nadine Sierra, Nicolás Guillén, Nina Koshetz, Osvaldo Golijov, Phyllis Curtin, Raquel Adnolaylo, Rayanne Dupuis, Robert Spano, Rosalía de Castro, Ruth Valladares Corrêa, Shimon Cohen, Silvestre Revueltas, Stefan Asbury, Virginia Tola, Walter Hendlcountermelody

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A few weeks ago I had the idea of doing a program devoted to American orchestral song. It did not take me long to realize that once again “American [that is to say, US] Exceptionalism” was distorting my viewpoint, because there is a rich legacy of orchestral song not only in the United States, but also in both Canada and Latin America. Therefore I will concern myself separately with each of these diverse Americas. Today’s episode is the first of two that plunges into a repertoire that, with a few exceptions, is, I daresay, virtually unknown to the majority of my audience: Latin American orchestral song. The exception is, of course, Heitor Villa-Lobos, but even his oeuvre reveals hidden riches. Though vocal music was not a focal point of his output, there remain, nonetheless, songs of his which are known throughout the world. I use these, and the semi-classical songs of Mexican Manuel M. Ponce, as a launching pad to this fascinating “dipping of the toes” into a repertoire that fully deserves our attention, and which includes a segment on another Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, as performed by a wide array of singers, including Bidú Sayão, Irma González, Ana Maria Martinez, Jennie Tourel, Lourdes Ambriz, Maura Moreira, and Nina Koshetz. We pay special tribute to iconic Brazilian (mezzo-)soprano Maria Lúcia Godoy, who recently died at the age of 100, and whom none other than Sayão claimed as her musical heir.

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.