Tag Archives: Carlo Franci

Episode 389. Rescue Mission (Operatic Duet Edition)

August 29, 2025African American Singers, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Ileana Cotrubas, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Renata Scotto, Rescue Mission, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAntigonae, April Cantelo, Cardillac, Carl Maria von Weber, Carl Orff, Carlo Bergonzi, Carlo Franci, Carol Neblett, Christa Ludwig, Claude Debussy, Claudio Monteverdi, David Rendall, Deborah Voigt, Der Besuch der alten Dame, Der fliegende Holländer, Die Ägyptische Helena, Die drei Pintos, Don Giovanni, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Eberhard Wächter, Edda Moser, Elena Vink, Eugène Scribe, Fabio Luisi, Felice Romani, Fernand Lion, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Friedrich Hölderlin, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Badoaro, Giuseppe Verdi, Gottfried von Einem, Grace Bumbry, Gustav Mahler, Helen Donath, Horst Stein, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Ileana Cotrubas, Imre Pallo, John Bröcheler, John Pritchard, John Reardon, Jorma Hynninen, Julius Rudel, Kenneth Montgomery, L’elisir d’amore, Lanford Wilson, Lee Hoiby, Leo Blech, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lorin Maazel, Mary Beth Peil, Maurice Maeterlinck, Nabucco, Paul Daniel, Paul Hindemith, Pelleas et Melisande, Renata Scotto, Richard Stilwell, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Rita Cullis, Roberta Alexander, Roland Hermann, Sophocles, Stafford Dean, Summer and Smoke, Temistocle Solera, Tennessee Williams, The Flying Dutchman, Thomas Hemsley, Ulf Schirmer, Walter Süsskind, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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I have spent the past week planning forthcoming episodes and last night I realized I had to “throw together” something for this weekend’s episode. When this happens, it can often result in a very eclectic program, indeed, and one which many of my listeners find to be among the most enjoyable Countermelody episodes. I have collected more than enough material for at least a dozen of my so-called “Rescue Mission” episodes, in which I feature artists to whom an entire episode has already been devoted, but for whom I have unearthed additional recordings. For today’s episode, I decided to focus exclusively on duets, featuring at least one singer of each pair who has already been heard (sometimes quite recently) on the podcast. And thus we have David Rendall singing Erik in The Flying Dutchman opposite Rita Cullis; Renata Scotto (with Carlo Bergonzi) in Elisir; April Cantelo in Paul Hindemith’s Cardillac; Maureen Lehane as Penelope in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria; Carol Neblett as Donna Elvira; and Helen Donath (with Deborah Voigt in Strauss’s rare Die ägyptische Helena). Also heard are operas by Gottfried von Einem, Giuseppe Verdi, Lee Hoiby, and Carl Orff featuring Christa Ludwig, John Reardon, Grace Bumbry, Edda Moser, and upcoming Countermelody featured artists John Bröcheler, Roland Hermann, and Eberhard Wächter. The episode concludes with the unlikely pair of Ileana Cotrubaş (pictured) and Jorma Hynninen (two of my most revered singers) as the title characters in a transcendent live recording of Pelléas et Mélisande.

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 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.

Episode 386. David Rendall in Memoriam

August 18, 2025Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe VerdiAlexander Borodin, Alexandre Dumas fils, Andrea Leone Tottola, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Arrigo Boito, Arthur Rimbaud, Benjamin Britten, Carlo Franci, Caterino Mazzolà, Charles Gounod, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Cosi fan tutte, Das Lied von der Erde, David Rendall, Der Rosenkavalier, Diana Montague, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die schöne Müllerin, Don Giovanni, Edo de Waart, Erich Leinsdorf, Faust, Francesco Maria Piave, Franco Alfano, Franz Schubert, George Forrest, Giacomo Puccini, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Hans Bethge, Hans Drewanz, Hector Berlioz, Heinz Wallberg, Henri Murger, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Iphigénie en Tauride, Ivor Bolton, James Levine, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Lennon, John Owen Edwards, Jules Barbier, Kālidāsa, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kismet, La Boheme, La Clemenza di Tito, La Donna del Lago, La leggenda di Sakùntala, La Traviata, Lawrence Foster, Les Illuminations, Li Bai, Lorenzo da Ponte, Luigi Illica, Mark Elder, Max Epstein, Michael Gielen, Michel Carré, Nicolas-François Guillard, Owain Arwel Hughes, Pagliacci, Pietro Metastasio, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Robert Wright, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Silvio Varviso, Simon Boccanegra, Valerie Masterson, Walter Scott, Wilhelm Müller, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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On 21 July, the opera world lost one of its finest tenors, David Rendall, at the age of 76. Rendall began his career in the mid-seventies as a lyric tenore di grazia specializing in bel canto and in the music of Mozart. His voice expanded and deepened over the years to encompass French roles (Des Grieux, Faust, Werther), 19th century Italian repertoire from Rodolfo to Otello, and finally Wagner roles from Lohengrin to Tristan. This episode explores his origins from his earliest recordings made before he ever considered a career in music, to live operatic recordings made between 1975 and 2006. Rendall’s family was a deeply musical one: his wife, Diana Montague, is a legendary mezzo-soprano, and their son Huw Montague Rendall is one of the brightest lights in the present-day operatic firmament. The episode includes Rendall singing song cycles by Britten and Schubert, and operatic rarities by Rossini and Alfano. In all of the music offered, David Rendall’s impeccable technique, patrician musicianship, and deep expressive connection to the music are heard to full effect. His memory will surely be a blessing to all who knew, heard, loved, and admired him. Many thanks to Huw for his advice in the preparation of this episode.

Episode 348. Rescue Mission II

April 8, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Comic Relief, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Margaret Price, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Rescue Mission, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAh Perfido!, Alan Paton, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfredo Kraus, Anton Guadagno, Arrigo Boito, Benjamin Luxon, Berislav Klobučar, Bruno Walter, Carlo Franci, Carlo Zangarini, Claudio Abbado, Conchita, Cosi fan tutte, David Willison, Dora Wilson, Edith Mathis, El amor brujo, Eleanor Steber, Ellabelle Davis, Eugene Holmes, Ferdinando Bertoni, Francesco Maria Piave, Frederick Weatherly, Fritz Busch, George Frideric Handel, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Giuseppe Verdi, Gloria Davy, Hans Thamm, Helga Görlin, Hermann Lohr, Hugo Cohn, Hugo Conrat, Hugo Hasslo, Janet Baker, Jean Féline, Joaquín Turina, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Alexander, Josefina de Attard, Judith Layng, Karl Böhm, Kjell Olsson, Kurt Weill, La Traviata, Le nozze di Figaro, Léo Chauliac, Leopold Stokowski, Lohengrin, Lorenzo da Ponte, Loris Gavarini, Lost in the Stars, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mady Mesple, Manuel de Falla, Mara Coleva, Margaret Marshall, Margaret Price, María de la O Lejárraga García, Martina Arroyo, Maurizio Vaucaire, Maxwell Anderson, Mefistofele, Musas de Andalucía, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Oralia Dominguez, Orfeo ed Euridice, Paul Misraki, Pierre Louÿs, Pietro Metastasio, Ranieri de’ Calzabigi, Raymond Leppard, Ria Bollen, Riccardo Zandonai, Richard Wagner, Roberta Alexander, Walter Herbert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zigeunerliedercountermelody

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After I post a Countermelody episode on a cherished singer, my relationship with these artists continues: one of those manifestataions is that I never stop seeking out rare and unusual recordings featuring those singers. This results in a grab-bag of fascinating and often obscure material that is simply too good not to share with my listeners. Today I present you with the second episode of such genre, which I have collectively dubbed “Rescue Mission.” On this episode I feature singers you’ve heard on the podcast over the course of the past several weeks and months, including, among many others, Janet Baker, Oralia Domínguez, Eugene Holmes, Ellabelle Davis, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Benjamin Luxon, Mara Coleva, Hugo Hasslo, Margaret Marshall, Gloria Davy, and Mady Mesplé, performing work by Handel, Verdi, Weill, Bach, Brahms, Boito, and Mozart. The episode concludes with Eleanor Steber (because, as I affirmed laast week, you can never have enough of her), in a 1949 performance of “Ah, Perfido!” that will have you picking your dislocated jaw up off the floor. Also expect shout-outs to friends of the podcast, old and new, as well as a certain amount of political snippiness!

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.