Tag Archives: Barbra Streisand

Episode 219. Chants d’Auvergne

October 18, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAnna Caterina Antonacci, Anna Moffo, Antonio de Almeida, Arleen Augér, Avron Twerdowsky, Barbra Streisand, Bernard Boucheix, Claus Ogerman, Dalton Baldwin, David Weber, Dawn Upshaw, Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht, Elie Cohen, Elly Ameling, François-Xavier Roth, Frederica von Stade, George Reeves, Gerard Souzay, Harold Bennett, Harry Shulman, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Jean-Pierre Jacquillat, Jeffrey Tate, Jill Gomez, John Wustman, Joseph Canteloube, Joseph-Marie Canteloube, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kurt Masur, Leonard Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Lucie Daullène, Madeleine Grey, Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret, Marni Nixon, Marvis Martin, Netania Davrath, Nicole Theven, Olivier Besnard, Pierre de la Roche, Regine Crespin, Susan Reed, Vernon Handley, Victoria de los Angeles, Yan Pascal Torteliercountermelody

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Another episode featuring orchestral songs, these arrangements by the French composer Joseph Canteloube AKA Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret (1879 – 1957), of elaborately orchestrated folk songs from the Auvergne region of France. From the 1960s an beyond these songs have become favorites of sopranos seeking engaging works for voice and orchestra. Canteloube made orchestral arrangements of five different series (or books) of songs published between 1924 and 1955. The songs themselves are, in turn, playful, plangent, tragic, saucy, rustic, and even surprisingly emancipated. In 1930 French soprano Madeleine Grey was the first artist to record the songs. Subsequently the Ukrainian-born Israeli soprano Netania Davrath became the first to take on the entire cycle. Cognoscenti still find her versions to be the most “authentic,” although that is a loaded term when one considers how elaborate these arrangements are. Other singers that helped put these songs on the map, as it were, include Anna Moffo, Victoria de los Angeles, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Frederica von Stade. All these singers are heard in this episode, which also includes memorable contributions from singers as varied as Dawn Upshaw, Barbra Streisand, Jill Gomez, Marvis Martin, Gérard Souzay, Marni Nixon, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Elly Ameling, Régine Crespin, Arleen Augér, Susan Reed, and others. You may also be quite surprised (I know I was!) to hear the singer that Canteloube most preferred in this repertoire, in a recording accompanied by the composer himself.

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 157. Forgotten Broadway I

August 12, 2022African American Singers, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAdolph Green, Alan Bergman, Alfred Drake, Alice Playten, Angela Lansbury, Anton Coppola, Barbara Cook, Barbra Streisand, Beatrice Arthur, Ben Bagley, Betty Comden, Bob Merrill, Broadway, Bruce Coughlin, Buster Davis, Claibe Richardson, Daniel Gundlach, Dear World, Do I Hear a Waltz, Dolores Gray, Don Costa, Don’t Bother Me I Can’t Cope, Donald Pippin, Dorothea Freitag, Drat the Cat, Elisse Boyd, Ervin Drake, Ethel Merman, Flahooley, Fran Landesman, Fred Werner, Frederick Dvonch, Funny Girl, George Forrest, Happy Hunting, Harold Karr, Herbert Greene, High Spirits, Ira Levin, Jay Blackton, Jerry Herman, Jimmy Jones, John Alban Coughlan, John Williams, Jule Styne, June Carroll, Kenward Elmslie, Lehman Engel, Leslie Uggams, Lloyd Arriola, Marilyn Bergman, Matt Dubey, Maurice Levin, Micki Grant, Milton Schafer, Mimi Hines, Moises Vivanco, Murray Grand, musicals, Nancy Wilson, Peter Matz, Richard Marx, Richard Rodgers, Robert Wright, Roslyn Kind, Sally Ann Howes, Sergio Franchi, Sheldon Harnick, Shepard Coleman, Stephen Sondheim, Tammy Grimes, The Nervous Set, Tommy Wolf, Two on the Aisle, Yma Sumaccountermelody

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Today I begin Forgotten Broadway, a new miniseries within my summer series “Musical Life in New York City 1950-1975.” This wildly eclectic (some might say chaotic) program, the first of three, concerns itself with several different aspects of “forgotten” Broadway: forgotten songs, forgotten shows, and forgotten performers; as well as all imaginable combinations of the above. For instance, many might not remember the show Drat! the Cat! but will remember quite well the song “He [originally She] Touched Me.” Everyone remembers Ethel Merman and Angela Lansbury, but I would bet that fewer remember their less successful shows Happy Hunting and Dear World. This episode includes songs by Richard Rodgers, Jule Styne, Bob Merrill, Wright and Forrest, and Comden and Green, as well as lesser known composers and lyricists such as Claibe Richardson, Bill and Patti Jacob, and Ervin Drake, sung by such stalwarts as Leslie Uggams, Barbara Cook, Alfred Drake, and Barbra Streisand, as well as such blazing (but less remembered figures) such as Alice Playten, Dolores Gray, Mimi Hines, and June Carroll. Such recently departed figures as Micki Grant, Kenward Elmslie, Sally Ann Howes, and Donald Pippin also receive airplay. Part II will be published in two weeks, and Part III will soon be available as a bonus episode for my Patreon subscribers.

Episode 148. Judy Garland @ 100

June 9, 2022Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Twentieth Century MusicAdolph Green, Alan Jay Lerner, Arthur Schwartz, Barbra Streisand, Betty Comden, Bob Merrill, Bobby Cole, Bronislaw Kaper, Burton Lane, Carl Sigman, Carolyn Leigh, Charles Chaplin, Cole Porter, Cy Coleman, David Lee, Gene Palumbo, Geoffrey Parsons, George Forrest, Gilbert Bécaud, Gus Kahn, Harold Arlen, Harry Robinson, Howard Dietz, Ira Gershwin, Jack Yellen, Judy Garland, Jule Styne, Julia Ward Howe, Larry Conley, Liza Minnelli, Lorenz Hart, Max Meth, Milton Ager, Mort Lindsey, Norrie Paramor, Richard Rodgers, Robert Wright, Roger Edens, Ted Koehler, Tony Osborne, Walter Jurmann, Willard Robison, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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On Friday 10 June 2022, Judy Garland celebrates her 100th birthday. My Pride 2022 series kicks off with a close examination of Judy’s status as gay icon, as well as my claim that Garland was, is, and remains the world’s greatest entertainer of all time. As always with Countermelody, the proof is in the performances, and I share a generous sampling of recordings, primarily from the final years of Judy’s life, that bolster that claim. Included are performances of songs by Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, Ted Koehler, Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, Jule Styne, Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner, Cole Porter, Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh, Gilbert Bécaud, Wright and Forrest, Schwartz and Dietz, Charles Chaplin, and others, in live recordings from The Judy Garland Show, which ran for a single season in 1963-64; live concert performances from New York, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Philadelphia, and Copenhagen; and a smattering of rare studio recordings. I also discuss the impact of Judy’s enormous talent impact on my own life, as well as her still-substantial numbers of worldwide fans. Vocal guest stars include two other classic gay icons, Barbra Streisand, and Judy’s own daughter, Liza Minnelli.

Episode 81. Happy Songs (straight up)

March 21, 2021African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Giuseppe Verdi, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Richard Strauss, Voiceless WondersAaron Copland, Alberta Hunter, Andy Kim, Anthony Newley, Arlene Saunders, Arpad Sandor, Barbara [Monique Serf], Barbra Streisand, Christa Ludwig, Claramae Turner, Conchita Supervia, Dorothy Maynor, Frances Wayne, Franz Allers, Franz Lehár, George Frideric Handel, Gerald Moore, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Harold Arlen, Horace Everett, James Levine, Janet Williams, Jeff Barry, Jo Bouillon, Johannes Brahms, Johnny Nash, Joséphine Baker, Joy Clements, Kathleen Battle, Leopold Stokowski, Leslie Bricusse, Lisa Della Casa, Mahalia Jackson, Margaret Bonds, Maria Callas, Max Hansen, Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone, Norman Treigle, Oleta Adams, Peter Matz, Pointer Sisters, Ralph Benatzky, Richard Cassilly, Richard Fredricks, Richard Strauss, Robert Gilbert, Ted Koehler, The Archies, The Tender Land (Copland & Everett), Tullio Serafin, Woody Herman, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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This week I offset the gloom of last week’s music with straight-up joy. No gimmicks, no goofiness, no weird accents. Whether the composer is Giuseppe Verdi, Ralph Benatzky, Aaron Copland, Oleta Adams, or Harold Arlen, and whether sung by Nancy Wilson, Dorothy Maynor, Tina Turner, Maria Callas, Max Hansen, Conchita Supervia, Barbra Streisand, Mahalia Jackson, Lisa Della Casa, or the Pointer Sisters, all today’s selections are guaranteed to make you feel a little lighter, a little more joyous. And in today’s continuing climate of pandemic uncertainty, who doesn’t need a little more of that?

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.” Occasional guests from the “business” (singers, conductors, composers, coaches, and teachers) lend their distinctive insights. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. And please head to my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available only to Patreon supporters are currently available.

Episode 56. Happy Birthday to moi! (A festive playlist)

October 10, 2020African American Singers, Broadway, Crossover, In Memoriam, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Renata ScottoABBA, Alanis Morissette, Annie Lennox, Aretha Franklin, Barbara Cook, Barbra Streisand, Billie Holiday, Bonnie Raitt, Céline Dion, Charles Trenet, Claudia Muzio, Cyndi Lauper, Dalida, Dinah Washington, Dolly Parton, Eartha Kitt, Edith Piaf, Enzo Mascheroni, Eurythmics, Freda Payne, Hamilton Camp, Jackie DeShannon, Jake Shears, Joey Heatherton, Judy Garland, Juliette Gréco, Laura Lee, Les Baxter, Linda Ronstadt, Marlene Dietrich, Nicole Croisille, Norman Luboff Choir, Rosemary Clooney, Scissor Sisters, Sven Ratzke, The Clooney Sisters, Tony Pastor, Yma Sumaccountermelody

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I was born this very day a specific number of years ago. My friends know exactly whe this landmark event took place. Today also marks the rollout of Season Two of Countermelody complete with a brand new theme song, once again sung by my girl Claudia Muzio. In celebration of these events, I’ve decided to give you a playlist of a few of my favorite pop divas, my association of some of whom stretches all the way back to my childhood. And what a motley assortment it is! Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Barbara Cook, Eartha Kitt, the recently deceased Juliette Gréco, ABBA, Barbra Streisand, Bonnie Raitt, Billie Holiday, Eurythmics, Jackie DeShannon, Dolly Parton, Laura Lee, Yma Sumac, Nicole Croisille, Linda Ronstadt, Freda Payne, Joey Heatherton, Dinah Washington, Dalida, Aretha, and of course my beloved Dusty. I’ve even thrown a few guys into the mix! This is a playlist worthy of any diva-loving late-middle aged homosexual that any lover of sometimes good music and mostly fantastic singing can enjoy. And you will enjoy it, dagnabbit. Cuz it’s my birthday and I said so!

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.” Occasional guests from the “business” (singers, conductors, composers, coaches, and teachers) lend their distinctive insights. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available only to Patreon supporters are currently available!

Episode 44. Gl’amour, Part Deux: The Invaders

July 19, 2020African American Singers, Art Song, Comic Relief, Mirella Freni, Music, Operetta, Pop Icons, Protest SongsAdam Le Postillon de Longjumeau, Adolphe Adam, Albert Lance, Alfred Bachelet, Alfredo Kraus, Allen Rogers, André Cluytens, André d’Arkor, Annie Lennox, Armand Canfora, Arthur Endrèze, Autour de minuit (Round Midnight), Barbara Hendricks, Barbra Streisand, Berlioz Zaïde, Bizet Les Pêcheurs de perles, Bob Dylan, Boieldieu La Dame blanche, Carole King, Charles Chaplin, Charles Gounod, Cherche la rose, Chère nuit, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, Comment te dire adieu, Dalida, Daniel Beckwith, Daniel Behle, Daniel Gundlach, Dans le souffle du vent [Blowin’ in the Wind], Dave Stewart, Demain tu peux changer, Duparc Au pays où se fait la guerre, Duparc Chanson triste, Dusty Springfield, Dylan Aufray Dans le souffle du vent, Eartha Kitt, Édouard Lalo, Eleanor Steber, Elie Cohen, Elis Regina, Emile Paladilhe, Eurythmics, Eurythmics Tous les garçons et les filles, Frances Alda, Franco Corelli, François Adrien Boieldieu, Françoise Hardy, Franz Lehár, Frédéric Chopin, Free Again, Gabriel Faure, George Bizet, Georges Pretre, Georges Thill, Giacomo Puccini, Glamour, Gounod Roméo et Juliette, Hector Berlioz, Henri Duparc, Henri Salvador, Hugues Aufray, Hugues Aufray Chante Dylan, Jacques Demy, Jacques Offenbach, Jacques Prévert, Jean Fournet, Jo Basile, John Constable, Joseph Kosma, Joseph Rogatchewsky, Jules Massenet, La Marseillaise, Lalo Le Roi d’Ys, Le Postillon de Longjumeau, Le Roi d’Ys, Lehár Le Pays du Sourire, Leopold Simoneau, Les feuilles mortes, Les parapluies de Cherbourg, Lloyd Arriola, Marlene Dietrich, Marlene Dietrich Cherche la rose, Massenet Werther, Michel Jourdan, Michel Legrand, Miguel Villabella, Mirella Freni, Muriel Smith, Natalie Dessay, Nicolai Gedda, Non... c’est rien, Non... c’est rien [Free Again], Offenbach Tales of Hoffmann, Paladilhe Psyché, Petula Clark, Pierre Delanoë, Puccini in French, Raoul Jobin, Récit de Cassard (Les parapluies de Cherbourg), René Rouzaud, Reynaldo Hahn, Richard Verreau, Serge Gainsbourg, Stuart Burrows, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Thelonious Monk, Tony Poncet, Tous les garçons et les filles, Un jour mon prince viendracountermelody

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Aux armes, citoyens! We have received advance warning that an army of foreigners masking as French speakers are storming the artistic gates, so to speak, and attempting to usurp France’s national artistic identity. Strangely, many of the invaders are operatic tenors, though they are accompanied by a coterie of vivandières singing popular music, all in French, no matter what their native tongues. Last week’s celebration of French glamour is today compromised, sullied, and usurped by all manner of unwelcome albeit glamorous guests, led by the New Zealander Frances Alda and buttressed by the American Eleanor Steber, fresh from celebrating her birthday this past week. Some of these figures masquerade more convincingly as actual French persons, but make no mistake, whether they be deceptive Canadians (Léopold Simoneau, Raoul Jobin, Richard Verreau), interloping Belgians (André d’Arkor), unwelcome Italians (the shocking Franco Corelli, the mysterious Dalida, and the dreaded Mirella Freni), subsersive Spaniards (Miguel Villabella, Alfredo Kraus, Tony Poncet) bullying Brazilians (Elis Regina), sneaky Swedes (Nicolai Gedda), denizens of the dreaded United Kingdom (Stuart Burrows, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Annie Lennox), Germans of nefarious intent (Marlene Dietrich, Daniel Behle), questionable Australians (Albert Lance, traveling incognito), suspicious Russians (Joseph Rogatchewsky), or worst of all, Americans intent on conquest (Barbara Hendricks, Eartha Kitt, Barbra Streisand, Muriel Smith, and even the spotlight-stealing Daniel Gundlach), these characters are all intent on destroying France’s language and music and must be thwarted at all costs, no matter how appealing their songs might appear to be. Finally, following the heroic actions of Georges Thill, France re-asserts her right to her own repertoire. But it seems that the damage has been done, for Natalie Dessay, Françoise Hardy, and even the formerly trustworthy Hugues Aufray, now seem only interested in singing American pop songs, albeit in French. All in all, an episode packed with intrigue, deception, and glorious singing!

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 classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. 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 interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 37. No More Slavery Chains

May 31, 2020African American Singers, Crossover, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Protest SongsAbe Meeropol, Alfred Hayes, Ballad for Americans, Barbra Streisand, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Burt Bacharach, Cher, Die Antwort weiss ganz allein der Wind, Earl Robinson, Joe Hill, Joe Worker, John Lathouche, Keedron Bryant, Leonard De Paur, Mahalia Jackson, Marc Blitzstein, Marlene Dietrich, Martin Luther King Jr., Micki Grant, Mississippi Goddamn, Neil Young, Nina Simone, Odetta, Paul Robeson, Pete Seeger, Prince, Shirley Verrett, Stephen Stills, Strange Fruit, The Cradle Will Rock, To Be Young Gifted and Black, We Shall Overcome, Weldon Irvine, Woody Guthriecountermelody

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I woke up this morning intending to produce an episode on French Glamour. Because I had been keeping my head in the sand over the past several days, I was not aware how the situation in Minneapolis had escalated since the last time I had checked in. I quickly realized that I could not in good conscience proceed as if this catastrophe wasn’t happening. On the other hand, I defer to those on the front lines to speak of their own experience and truth. I offer solidarity with those who rage and mourn, and a program of protest songs ranging over the course of the early twentieth century to the present day. We hear from a wide range of singers, from Donny Hathaway, Micki Grant, Pete Seeger, Mahalia Jackson, Odetta, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, to Joan Baez, Nina Simone, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Paul Robeson, and Marlene Dietrich. If you don’t want to hear a political program, for goddess’s sake, keep away, but if you do want to be infuriated, engaged, and uplifted, please listen in.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. 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 interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.