Tag Archives: Claudio Nicolai

Episode 285. Edda Moser Reappraised

August 31, 2024Art Song, Comic Relief, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Great BaritonesAdelheid Wette, Bruno Weil, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Claudio Nicolai, Clemens von Brentano, Der fliegende Holländer, Die lustige Witwe, Die Zauberflöte, Edda Moser, Elektra, Emanuel Schikaneder, Engelbert Humperdinck, Ernst von Steigentesch, Eugen d’Albert, Euripedes, Franz Lehár, George Frideric Handel, Gerd Feldhoff, Hans Werner Henze, Hänsel und Gretel, Hedwig Lachmann, Heinrich Heine, Heinrich Hollreiser, Heinz Wallberg, Herbert Blomstedt, Hermann Hesse, Hermann Prey, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ingeborg Bachmann, Iphigénie en Tauride, Irwin Gage, Ivan Törzs, János Kulka, Jean Dupouy, Jean-Claude Malgoir, Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, Joseph Sonnleithner, Kent Nagano, Leo Stein, Leonore (Beethoven), Lovro von Matačić, Ludwig van Beethoven, Milan Horvat, Nicola Francesco Haym, Nicolas-François Guillard, Oscar Wilde, Pagliacci, Peter Maag, Peter Schneider, Riccardo Muti, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Robert Hale, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Salome, Siegmund Nimsgern, Sophocles, Tannhäuser, Vier letzte Lieder, Viktor Léon, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Lately I have been doing a series of episodes on artists that in my opinion deserve a reassessment, a second glance, if you will. Edda Moser is almost universally regarded as the “best” Queen of the Night that ever walked the earth. Certainly she is the most ominous and menacing, as well as the most monumental of voice and delivery. But there is a false narrative surrounding Frau Moser that over the course of her career, she lost control of her voice and pursued a repertoire that destroyed her voice. In this episode, I plead exactly the opposite: that Moser moved naturally and with dedicated assurance into the heavier roles of Strauss and Wagner, and that her voice from its origins displayed affinity for these more dramatic parts. Some of Edda Moser’s earliest successes were in the stratospheric vocal compositions of Hans Werner Henze, in which she displayed a fearless and limitless virtuosity. During her long career, her roles spanned nearly the entire range of the soprano repertoire, everything from her supreme Mozart characterizations to Hanna Glawari to Nedda to Iphigénie to Senta to Salome. Recently, some late-career live recordings of Edda Moser have appeared on the landscape, and instead of recycling one of my two previous Moser episodes, I have selected choice tidbits from these recordings, as well as more readily available material, that show Moser in all facets of her artistry, focusing on the epic, perhaps, but not overlooking her delicacy, sensitivity, pathos, charm, and delicious sense of humor. Guest singers heard on the episode include some of the finest baritones active during this period, including Siegmund Nimsgern, Hermann Prey, Gerd Feldhoff, Claudio Nicolai, and Robert Hale. Conductors include Heinrich Hollreiser, Riccardo Muti, Herbert Blomstedt, Lovro von Matačić, Christoph von Dohnányi, Kent Nagano, and many others. Give this episode a listen and may find yourself agreeing with me that she is one of the supreme classical vocalists of the twentieth century.

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 239. Gwendolyn Killebrew (BHM 2024)

February 8, 2024African American Singers, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Canadian Singers, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Gustav Mahler, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Orchestral Songs, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAgostino Manni, Agostino Piovene, Andrea Chénier, Antal Dorati, Anton de Ridder, Antonín Dvořák, Antonio Somma, Barbara Scherler, Béatrice et Bénédict, Berislav Klobučar, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Bohumil Gregor, Božena Němcová, Carlo Bergonzi, Claudio Nicolai, Die Soldaten (Zimmermann), Die Walküre, Edgar (Puccini), Edith Kertész-Gabry, Emilio de’ Cavalieri, Eugène Scribe, Eve Queler, Ferdinando Fontana, Francis Poulenc, Friedrich Lenz, Friedrich Nietzsche, Gail Gilmore, Gary Bertini, George Darden, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Harald Stamm, Hector Berlioz, Heinrich von Kleist, Heinz Wallberg, Hermann Prey, Hiroshi Wagusaki, Ira Gershwin, James Levine, Jaromír Weinberger, Jaroslav Kvapil, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Moriarty, Joseph Haydn, Karel Jaromír Erben, La fraîcheur et le feu, Leonard Bernstein, Lodovico Ariosto, Luigi Illica, Magnificat (Bach), Maureen Forrester, Maurice Ravel, Max Brod, Miloš Kareš, Nicola Haym, Nicolas Pradon, Nunziano Porta, Oh Kay!, Orlando Paladino (Haydn), Othmar Schoeck, Otto-Werner Mueller, Paul Éluard, Penthesilea (Schoeck), Peter Erckens, Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo, Richard Wagner, Rusalka (Dvořák), Seiji Ozawa, Shéhérazade, Sherrill Milnes, Stuart Burrows, Tamerlano (Handel), Teresa Stratas, Thomas Muraco, Tristan Klingsor, Umberto Giordano, Un ballo in maschera, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, William Shakespearecountermelody

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This week’s “Forgotten Diva” is the mezzo-soprano / contralto Gwendolyn Killebrew (26 August 1941 – 24 December 2021), who made an indelible contribution to opera in particular during the active years of her career (1965 – 2009). Though the majority of her career was centered at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, she sang the world over with some of the most important opera companies (including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Bayreuth, Washington Opera, Santa Fe Opera, La Monnaie, and the Bayerische Staatsoper), conductors (Pierre Boulez, Gary Bertini, Michael Gielen, Herbert von Karajan, Zubin Mehta, Georg Solti), and stage directors (Patrice Chéreau, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, August Everding, Giancarlo del Monaco, Christof Loy, and John Dew). She had an enormous repertoire from Monteverdi and Handel to Henze and Fortner, excelling in particular in various Wagner roles. She was also a superb actor, who, through the use minimal gestures and stage business, made an enormous impact. This episode presents her in a wide range of material, including both live and commercial recordings ranging from Cavalieri to Zimmermann, alongside such fellow singers as Teresa Stratas, Carlo Bergonzi, Hermann Prey, Stuart Burrows, Sherrill Milnes, and Gail Gilmore led by conductors Leonard Bernstein, Gary Bertini, Bohumil Gregor, Berislav Klobučar, James Levine, Heinz Wallberg, and Eve Queler. Of special interest is a rare live recording of her prize-winning performance of “Asie” from Ravel’s Shéhérazade at the 1967 International Voice Competition in Montréal. The episode opens with brief memorial tributes to soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez and pianist Thomas Muraco.

Episode 92. Blessed Memory (In Memoriam III)

June 6, 2021African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Twentieth Century Music, Verismo, Voiceless WondersAdele Stolte, Aimé Doniat, Alice Goodman, André Campra, Arnold Schoenberg, Arthur Loosli, Arthur Woodley, Barbara Scherler, Bernard Ładysz, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Caroline Kaart, Catherine Gayer, Cecilia Fusco, Cesare, Christian Martin Fuchs, Claudio Nicolai, Cora Canne Meijer, Cristóbal Halffter, Edith Selig, Edith Thallaug. Erland Hagegård, Eldar Aliev, Eugenia Ratti, Galina Savova, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giovanni Bononcini, Giuseppe Verdi, Hedi Klug, Hiroshi Wakasugi, Hugh Beresford, Inés Rivadeneira, James Maddalena, Janine Reiss, Jean-François Paillard, Jerzy Marchwiński, Jerzy Semkow, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Adams, John Macurdy, Jolanda Meneguzzer, Jose Tellaeche, Juan Vert, Julius Rudel, Kent Nagano, Kurt Azesberger, Kurt Eichhorn, Kurt Weill, Leonard Mróz, Ludwig van Beethoven, Matti Piipponen, Michael Rippon, Neil Howlett, Okko Kamu, Othmar Schoeck, Paul Méfano, Peter Maag, Pierrot lunaire, Pietro Mascagni, Ralf Gothoni, Reveriano Soutullo, Richard Wagner, Rico Saccani, Robert Gilbert, Robert Stolz, Roberto Benzi, Seppo Nummi, Serge Rachmaninov, Siepi, Silvano Carroli, Sophie Boulin, Stanisław Moniuszko, The Death of Klinghoffer, Thomas Daniel Schlee, Thomas Hammons, Umberto Giordano, Vaclovas Daunoras, Vasile Moldoveanu, William Peterson-Berger, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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The final episode (for now) in my series commemorating recent deaths in the musical community, this one presents a further group of treasurable (and often less well-known) musical artists, refracted through the lens of memory: personal memory, collective memory, eternal memory, blessed memory. Prepare to make or renew acquaintance with Adele Stolte, Silvano Carroli, Inés Rivadeneira, Eugenia Ratti, Caroline Kaart, Galina Savova, Bernard Ładysz, Cora Canne Meijer, Arthur Woodley, Jolanda Meneguzzer, Eldar Aliev, Sophie Boulin, and Edith Thallaug, among many others. Some were “voiceless wonders,” relatively speaking, others were gifted with enormous vocal gifts. All were artists and human beings who each made their mark in their own distinctive way. Guest stars include Vasile Moldoveanu, Cesare Siepi, Aimé Doniat, and Ralf Gothóni.

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.