Tag Archives: Erik Sædén

Episode 495. A Birthday Potpourri II (Sneak Preview Edition)

October 15, 2026African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Black History Month 2026, Bubbles on the Nile, Countertenors, Ein Opernabend mit..., Forgotten DivasAdriana Maliponte, Agostino Steffani, Alfred Jerger, Alfredo Silipigni, Alkman, Amor vien dal destino, André Emilianoff, Andrea Maffei, Ángel de Saavedra, Arabella, Cesar Franck, Charles Gounod, Charles Ives, Clemens Krauss, Constantine Cassolas, Daniel Gundlach, Die Macht des Schicksals, Erik Sædén, Francesco Maria Piave, Franz Werfel, Frederick Hammond, Giuseppe Verdi, Halina Łukomska, Hans Udo Müller, Heinz Fricke, Hilda Harris, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Iris, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Jean Sibelius, Jerzy Sulikowski, Joan Tower, Joaquin Rodrigo, Joel Lester, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, John Angelo Messana, John Bröcheler, John Keats, Joséphine-Blanche Colomb, Karol Szymanowski, Kenneth Montgomery, Kostas Paskalis, La forza del destino, Langston Hughes, Laura Flax, Leonidas Zoras, Les Béatitudes, Luigi Illica, Macbeth, Margaret Bonds, Margarete Teschemacher, Michael Isador, Miriam Gideon, Newell Jenkins, Ortensio Mauro, Parsifal, Patricia Spencer, Paul Hofstede, Pentti Koskimies, Pieśni muezina szalonego, Pietro Mascagni, Reginald Boardman, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Ritva Auvinen, Roland Hayes, Rudolf Jansen, Sandra Browne, Scott Gilmore, Songs of the Lovesick Muezzin, Spas Wenkovv, Sten Envik, Teodoro Llorente, Victor Hugo, Viorica Ursuleac, Virgil, Voices from Elysium, Walther Ludwig, Willis Barnstonecountermelody

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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.

Episode 466. Baritones Both Butch and Bonnie

May 25, 2026African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Black History Month, Black History Month 2026, Broadway, Canadian Singers, Great Baritones, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Pop Icons, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAdam Wiernik, Alexander Borodin, Alfred Drake, Alfred Grünwald, Allan Evans, Antonin Kubalek, Antonina Afanassieva, Antônio Maria, Apollo Granforte, Arne Dorumsgaard, Arthur Schwartz, Bernard Diamant, Bernard Ładysz, Bernd Weikl, Carlo Sabajno, Charles Mackerras, Christian Morgenstern, David Lutz, Doda Conrad, Edvard Grieg, Erik Bergman, Erik Sædén, Eva Knardahl, Franz Rupp, Franz Schubert, Frederick Fuller, Frederick Prausnitz, Fritz Löhner-Beda, Georg Kouroupos, George Forrest, George Frideric Handel, Gerhard Hüsch, Gustaf Fröding, Harald Andersén, Harve Presnell, Heinrich Heine, Heinrich Schlusnus, Henri René, Henrik Ibsen, Howard Dietz, Imre Földes, Irwin Gage, Jerzy Vidal, Johann Chrysostomus Senn, Johann Mayrhofer, Johann Rochlitz, John Bröcheler, John Milton, John Newmark, Kalervo Hortamo, Karl Gottfried von Leitner, Kismet, Knut Skram, Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, Kurt Eichhorn, Lieder um den Tod, Lili Kraus, Luigi Dallapiccola, Luiz Bonfá, Manha de Carneval, Manuel de Falla, Marcel Camus, Margaret Kilpinen, Martti Talvela, Matti Lehtinen, Max van Egmond, Newburgh Hamilton, Norman Shetler, Otto Julius Bierbaum, Paul Abraham, Pentti Koskimies, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Ray Charles, Revenge with Music, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Robert Cornman, Robert Holl, Robert Schumann, Robert Wright, Salvatore Quasimodo, Samson, Seppo Nummi, Siegfried Lorenz, Siete canciones populares españolas, Spyros Sakkas, Stig Westerberg, Tan Crone, Tannhäuser, Thomas Stewart, Veikko Koskenniemi, Victor Braun, Viktoria und ihr Husar, Wiktor Maksymkin, Wilhelm Stenhammar, Yrjö Kilpinen, Yuri Mazurokcountermelody

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Today’s episode features baritones of all stripes (with the occasional bass-baritone) in a program focusing primarily on song in its various manifestations. Whether that be Broadway and pop tunes (sung by Alfred Drake, Allan Evans, and Harve Presnell); Schubert (performed by Doda Conrad, Bernard Diamant, Max van Egmond, Robert Holl, and Siegfried Lorenz); other German Lieder (with Victor Braun and Heinrich Schlusnus); Russian and Nordic song (sung by Matti Lehtinen, Yuri Mazurok, Erik Sædén, Martti Talvela, Knut Skram, and Gerhard Hüsch); or folk song (as recorded by Arne Dørumsgaard, John Bröcheler, and Spyros Sakkas), there’s something here for everyone. And to avoid accusations of prejudice against arias, I round off the episode with three arias: one from opera (Tannhäuser, sung – in Italian! – by Apollo Granforte), one oratorio (Handel’s Samson, with Thomas Stewart), and one operetta (from Viktoria und ihr Husar, performed by Bernd Weikl).

Episode 358. Elisabeth Söderström Revisited

May 13, 2025Art Song, Broadway, French Opera, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAlbert Wolff, Andrew Davis, Arne Nordheim, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Bo Bergman, Charles-Simon Favart, Claude Génetay, David Belasco, Ebba Lindqvist, Edvarg Grieg, Egon Kjerrman, Elisabeth Soderstrom, Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Erik Lindegren, Erik Sædén, Eyvind Johnson, Frank Mandel, Giacomo Puccini Hugo Hasslo, Giuseppe Giacoso, Gösta Nystroem, Gustave Charpentier, Hjalmar Gullberg, Hugo Alfvén, Ingvar Lidholm, Jean Sibelius, John Luther Long, Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Lars Billengren, Lars-Erik Larsson, Luigi Illica, Madama Butterfly, Maurice Ravel, Militiades Caridis, Oscar Hammerstein II, Oskar Lindberg, Otto Harbach, Pär Lagerkvist, Shéhérazade, Sigmund Romberg, Sixten Ehrling, Stig Rybrant, Stig Westerberg, The Desert Song, Tristan Klingsor, Ture Rangström, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yuri Ahronovitchcountermelody

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There are very few singers that mean more to me than does Elisabeth Söderström. I was first made aware of her at the tender age of ten, when I became obsessed with Pelléas et Mélisande after hearing the (at the time) brand new recording of the opera conducted by Pierre Boulez which featured Söderström and George Shirley in the title roles. Further explorations yielded further delights: the complete Rachmaninov songs with Vladimir Ashkenazy, the Janáček heroines under Charles Mackerras. I began grabbing every recording of hers that I could get, and every time I encountered her unique voice, frail yet passionate, I fell further and further under her spell. And then I saw her onstage, both in recital and as the Marschallin on the Met Tour and I became an even more passionate devotee. When I was recently reminded that May 7 was her birthday, I determined that it was time to revisit her legacy and artistry. Because she was so quintessentially Swedish, I have chosen a program featuring Söderström singing primarily in Swedish, including a healthy sampling of music by Swedish composers (Blomdahl, Nordheim, Lindberg, Alfvén, Larsson, Nystroem, and Rangström). And because she sang so many of her operatic roles in Swedish translation, we also get to hear her as Charpentier’s Louise and Puccini’s Cio-Cio-San. Vocal guest stars are fellow great Swedish singers Erik Sædén and Hugo Hasslo. Also expect some delicious and delightful surprises, as this most spontaneous and inspired of singers always had something unexpected up her sleeve!

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.