Tag Archives: Arabella

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.

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.

Episode 208. Happy Birthday, Gundula Janowitz!

August 1, 2023Art Song, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Schubert, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartArabella, Carl Maria von Weber, Charles Spencer, Cosi fan tutte, Del Rubio Triplets, Der Freischütz, Der Ring des Polykrates, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Fidelio, Franco Corelli, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Schiller, Fritz Rieger, Giuseppe Verdi, Gundula Janowitz, Heinrich Hollreiser, Horst Stein, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Johann Sebastian Bach, Karl Böhm, Karl Lappe, Lee Hazlewood, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lucia Popp, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mathieu Lange, Paul Reubens, Pee Wee Herman, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Tannhäuser, Vier letzte Lieder, Wilhelm Loibner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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From a very young age I was interested in today’s birthday celebrant, the great Gundula Janowitz, at least partially because of a similarity between her first name and my last name! But even more than that, I was drawn to the ethereal purity of her voice, possessed of an immediately identifiable timbre unlike that of any other singer. From the 1960s through the 1980s, Janowitz was the reigning queen of the jugendlich dramatisch soprano repertoire, excelling in the roles of Mozart, Strauss and Wagner (the so-called wagneriennes blanches heroines), as well as being a Bach singer of the highest order and an exceptional Lieder singer. What is there not to love? Janowitz was also a frequent visitor to the recording studio, and to this day her recordings form a cornerstone of the Deutsche Grammophon catalog. On today’s episode, however, I stick firmly to her live and radio recordings, some of them quite rare, of the repertoire for which she was so justly celebrated. We sample live recordings of her Arabella, Fiordiligi, Agathe, and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, as well as a more surprising Elisabetta, the conflicted queen in Verdi’s Don Carlo. Also highlighted is her exceptional and career-defining performance of the role of Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio, in a rare live 1977 from the Orange Festival. Guest vocalists include Lucia Popp and Franco Corelli. This is a mouthful, so I’ll say it for all of us: Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag an eine der gefeiertsten und verehrtesten Sopranistinnen des 20. Jahrhunderts!

Episode 200. Whole Lotta Lotte (Lehmann!)

June 9, 2023Art Song, Giacomo Puccini, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Schubert, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAlfred Maria Willner, Amin Maalouf, Anne Sofie von Otter, Arabella, Arturo Toscanii, Astrud Gilberto, Ben Johnson, Bruno Seidler-Winkler, Christian Karlsen, Christian L’Egru, Das Wunder der Heliane, Der Rosenkavalier, Die tote Stadt, Eduard Mörike, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Ernő Balogh, Fidelio, Franco Alfano, Franz Lehár, Franz Schubert, Franz von Schober, Georg Philipp Schmidt von Lübeck, Georg Szell, George Szell, Giacomo Puccini, Giovacchino Forzano, Giuseppe Adami, Hans Müller-Einigen, Hermann Weigert, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Hugo Wolf, Johannes Brahms, Joseph Sonnleithner, Kaija Saariaho, Käte Heidersbach, Käthe Heidersbach, Klaus Growth, Kurt Robitschek, Lotte Lehmann, Ludwig van Beethoven, Manfred Gurlitt, Paul Ulanowsky, Rainer Maria Rilke, Renato Simoni, Richard Jäger, Richard Strauss Heinrich Hart, Richard Tauber, Richard Wagner, Robert Bodanzky, Robert Schumann, Robert Stolz, Suor Angelica, Turandot, Walter Wanderley, Wilhelm Müllercountermelody

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Today we observe a significant event in the history of Countermelody, namely, our 200th episode! I decided that there was no better way to celebrate than to devote a full episode to the great Lotte Lehmann (1888-1976), who vies with Claudia Muzio as one of my two favorite singers of all time. Lehmann was originally a conservatory flunkie, but somehow got her act together to become one of the most expressive and imaginative singers, both of opera and of art song, that ever lived. From the first time I heard this warm, enveloping voice allied to a theatrical, emotional style of delivery, I was in love. Though I have frequently featured her in individual cuts on the podcast, this is the first time she has been featured on her own episode. She is heard in live, studio, and radio recordings made between the years 1916 and 1958, all of which reveal her in all aspects of her sublime artistry and in the company of some of the greatest artists of her era, from Arturo Toscanini to Richard Tauber to George Szell, to her preferred accompanist, Paul Ulanowsky. Choosing the selections for this week’s program was like reencountering an old friend. The episode begins with a brief tribute to the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died a week ago at the age of 70 and to the evocative singer Astrud Gilberto, who died this past week at the age of 83.

Episode 153. Eleanor Steber I

July 15, 2022Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Interview, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century MusicAlban Berg, Alexandre Dumas, Arabella, Astrid Varnay, Cosi fan tutte, David Belasco, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Dimitri Mitropoulos, 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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July 17 is the 108th birthday of Eleanor Steber, surely one of the all-time greatest singers that the United States has ever produced (as well as one of the most versatile and technically-accomplished!) In long overdue Countermelody tribute to this exceptional artist, I present the first of two very special episodes honoring Eleanor. After the “usual” career overview featuring mostly live highlights from her operatic appearances all over the world, I turn the stage (or in this case the mic), over to my dear friend Michelle Oesterle, founder and conductor of the Manhattan Girls Chorus, who was also Eleanor Steber’s stepdaughter. As such she spent time (especially in the summer months) with her father and Eleanor at Melody 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. The Steber tribute will continue with a further episode sometime in the next month. For now, let us raise our glasses (of sparkling mineral water), in tribute to this phenomenal artist, the like of which we will never see again. Musical selections range from Victor Herbert to Alban Berg and everything in between. Thank you, Michelle, and evviva Eleanor!