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Welcome to the second of my birthday potpourri episodes! I recorded this the day before we left on vacation, in other words, exactly a week ago. The focus this week is on Coming Attractions for the rest of the year and the new season (Season Eight already!) of Countermelody coming in January. We begin with a tribute to Dutch bass-baritone John Bröcheler, who died on September 30 at the age of 81. I have been collecting his recordings for a couple years now and will do a full memorial tribute in the months to come. I’m also planning a series on songs by important twentieth century composers, including Karol Szymanowski (sinuously represented here by Polish soprano Halina Łukomska), Jean Sibelius (powerfully voiced by Finnish soprano Ritva Auvinen) and Miriam Gideon (performed here by the exceptional Greek-American tenor Constantine Cassolas, one of the composer’s favorite collaborators). I’m also planning a special episode on creators of Richard Strauss operas, and as a foretaste we hear an excerpt from Arabella featuring the controversial soprano Viorica Ursuleac and baritone Alfred Jerger. My series of recordings in the Opernabend series on the Eterna label also continues, and the “placeholder” here is Bulgarian heldentenor Spas Wenkoff, heard in an excerpt from Parsifal. I’m also putting together an episode on great German sopranos singing Verdi in German, as represented here by the great Margarete Teschemacher. This will be in tandem with an episode on international Verdi baritones, as exemplified by one of the greatest ever, the Greek Kostas Paskalis. I’ll also be doing individual episodes on singers I’ve been collecting for some time now, including the pathbreaking African American tenor Roland Hayes, the versatile Swedish bass-baritone Erik Sædén, the fearless French-Italian spinto Adriana Maliponte, and two Black mezzos: the velvet-voiced Hilda Harris and the pioneering Trinidadian Sandra Browne. Finally, a pair of episodes paying tribute to the countertenor voice, one entitled “Our Countertenor Forebears,” represented by the heroic-voiced John Angelo Messana. The other, which has been planned and promised for years now as Episode 500, will feature yours truly, Daniel Gundlach, in an episode to be called “Dansplaining,” which will feature sound recordings unearthed from the ashes of my own archives. So, my friends, much to look forward to on Countermelody in the seasons, months, and years to come.
Countermelody is the podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.
