Tag Archives: Erika Köth

Episode 492. Mommie Dearest, One Year Later

September 23, 2026African American Singers, Broadway, Comic Relief, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Listeners' Favorites, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Renata Scotto, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, SpiritualsAlfred de Musset, Alfred Newman, Ángel de Saavedra, Bernie Toorish, Bruno Balz, Carl Boberg, Carmen Dragon, Carmen Miranda, Cecil Sharp, Christfried Bickenbach, Clifton Bingham, Daniel Chorzempa, Edgar, Edwin Greene, Eileen Farrell, Ein deutsches Requiem, Eleanor Steber, Elly Ameling, Erika Köth, Eve Queler, Ferdinando Fontana, Francesco Maria Piave, Frederick Weatherly, Gabriel Faure, George Cory, George Frideric Handel, George Mzlloy, George Szell, Gerald Moore, Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, Harold Arlen, Harry Warren, Haven Gillespie, Henriette Louise von Haym, Howard Barlow, Igor Gorin, Irving Berlin, J. Fred Coots, Jean Fournet, Joan Baez, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Jacob Niles, John Shirley-Quirk, Johnnie Ray, Johnny Mercer, Kenneth Spencer, La forza del destino, Leigh Harline, Leo Robin, Leontyne Price, Lloyd Arriola, Mabel Mercer, Manfred Hübler, Michelangelo Veltri, Ned Washington, Neville Marriner, Norman Luboff, Odetta, Pinocchio, Renata Scotto, Shirley Verrett, Stuart K. Hine, Sy Mann, The Four Lads, The Holmes Brothers, The Wizard of Oz, Tom Krause, Tom Lehrer, Wilhelm Schüchter, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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Today is the one-year anniversary of my dear mother’s death. Yesterday, in preparing for my own private commemoration, I remembered that almost exactly a year ago, just two days after she died, I recorded the narration for a memorial episode in her honor that at the time I never published. Listening to the raw material for that episode, I realized that today would be the perfect time to publish that episode. I assumed that I would be so choked up with grief that I would not even be able to organize my thoughts, but I think I did a pretty good job of commemorating her in a way that only I could. As I remark, though my mother and I had a sometimes conflicted relationship because of her religious beliefs and conservative politics, we also shared the preternatural bond that mothers sometimes share with their children when they perceive the presence of a kindred spirit. For in spite of all the mutual head-butting in which we partook over the years, we were kindred spirits. And we both had to work extremely hard to keep those channels of love and respect open when, according to all our opposing vantage points, we should have been in enmity. This episode was wrung out of me just as the wave of my grief was cresting, but it’s so much better for that. I supplement my anecdotes and memories with a lot of music, from many different performers: everyone and everything from Bach to Johnnie Ray to “I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb” to Joan Baez to Mabel Mercer to Tom Lehrer to “Danny Boy” to the Brahms Deutsches Requiem and back again. I’m not sure that, after a year as an orphan (what the Germans would call a Vollwaise, , I would have the perspective to delve into my memories in the same way. Please give this episode a listen; maybe it will help you put certain things in perspective as well.

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 419. Wunderlich in Duet

December 12, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Canadian Singers, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Rescue Mission, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlexandre Dumas fils, Alfons Rischner, Alfred Brüggemann, Angelo Anelli, Annelies Kupper, Anneliese Rothenberger, Antonia Fahberg, Bedřich Smetana, Bela Jenbach, Berislav Klobučar, Bernhard Michaelis, Bruno Bartoletti, Capriccio, Carl Michalski, Carl Zeller, Christa Ludwig, Clemens Krauss, Daphne, David Belasco, Der Vogelhändler, Der Zarewitsch, Die Ausflüge des Herrn Broucek, Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Die Perlenfischer, Die verkaufte Braut, Edith Mathis, Edmond de Biéville, Emilie Dahnk-Baroffio, Erika Köth, Eugène Cormon, Ferdinand Gregori, Ferdinand Leitner, Francesco Maria Piave, František Serafínský Procházka, Franz Lehár, Franz Marszalek, Friederike Sailer, Friedrich von Flotow, Fritz Neumeyer, Fritz Wunderlich, Gabriela Zapolska, Gaetano Donizetti, George Frideric Handel, Georges Bizet, Georges Pretre, Giacomo Puccini, Giovanni Ruffini, Giulio Cesare, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Patanè, Giuseppe Verdi, Heinrich Proch, Heinz Reichert, Henri Murger, Hermann Klaiss, Hermann Prey, Hermann Werdermann, Hilde Güden, Horst Stein, Jagdkantate, Johann Andreas Schachtner, Johann Philipp Krieger, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Luther Long, Joseph Gregor, Joseph Keilberth, Jubilant Sykes, Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, Justinus Kerner, Karel Sabina, Karl Forster, Karlheinz Gutheim, La Boheme, Leonard Bernstein, Leos Janacek, Les pecheurs de perles, Lisa Della Casa, Lucia Popp, Ludwig Hartmann, Ludwig Held, Luigi Illica, Madama Butterfly, Mainhard von Zallinger, Marcel Cordes, Maria Stader, Marin Alsop, Martha, Max Kalbeck, Melitta Muszely, Michel Carré, Moritz West, Natalie von Grünhof, Nicola Hayn, Otto Nicolai, Paganini, Paul Knepler, Pilar Lorengar, Prodaná nevěsta, Richard Kraus, Richard Strauss, Robert Heger, Robert Kerns, Robert Schumann, Rolf Reinhardt, Rudolf Kempe, Ruth-Margret Pütz, Salomon Franck, Salomon von Mosenthal, Siegfried Köhler, Stefania Woytowicz, Stephen Schwartz, Svatopluk Čech, Teresa Stratas, The Adventures of Mr. Broucek, Trude Eipperle, Victor Varin, Viktor Dyk, Výlety páně Broučkovy, Waldemar Kmentt, Walter Berry, Was mir behagt, Wilhelm Friedrich, William Shakespeare, Wilma Lipp, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zaidecountermelody

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Anytime I do an episode on Fritz Wunderlich, the sun breaks through the clouds, emotionally speaking. Possessor of a bright-timbred voice of such exquisite beauty anchored by a profoundly satisfying musical sensibility, he and his legacy inspire rather than sadden me. Today I’ve chosen a duet program, because it allows me to showcase Fritz’s effortless stylistic flexibility, while at the same time highlighting a rainbow of singing partners, some of whom are old favorites, and others of whom might not yet be well-known to my listeners. Today’s treasure-trove of singers includes sopranos Maria Stader, Lucia Popp, Teresa Stratas, Erika Köth, Edith Mathis, Stefania Woytowicz, Pilar Lorengar, Melitta Muszely, Trude Eipperle, Hilde Güden, Anneliese Rothenberger, and Ruth-Margret Pütz; mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig; and baritones Hermann Prey and Marcel Cordes, among others. Wunderlich and his co-stars sing repertoire ranging from the early Baroque through Janáček, including a particularly generous helping of Italian opera (albeit sung mostly in German), German Singspiel and Viennese operetta. It’s a long episode, so don’t hesitate to divide the episode up into bite-sized segments. No matter how you slice it up, I forecast a blissful response to these clarion tones!

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 406. Dan’s Belated Birthday Gals (Soprano Edition)

October 28, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Broadway, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop Icons, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Voiceless WondersAchim von Arnim, Alicia de Larrocha, André Emelianoff, Andrée Esposito, Annie Fullard, Arabella, Arleen Augér, Bela Jenbach, Benita Valente, Canciones amatorias, Clemens Brentano, Colette Herzog, Delia Rigal, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Don Shirley, Donald Voorhees, Edith Mathis, Elizabeth Harwood, Enrique Granados, Erik Werba, Erika Eckert, Erika Köth, Eugène Bigot, Eugène Scribe, Faye Robinson, Francis Poulenc, Frank Bridge, Frank Dempster Sherman, Franz Lehár, Franz Schulz, Genevieve Touraine, Georges Bizet, Georges Jean-Aubry, Gerald Moore, Germain Delavigne, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Gordon Gottlieb, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, Gotthard Arnér, Gustav Mahler, Hans May, Harold Arlen, Hilde Güden, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ignaz Michael Welleminsky, Irmgard Seefried, Jacqueline Bonneau, Jacques Février, Jacques Ibert, Jacques Mars, Jean Sibelius, Jerome Kern, Jill Gomez, Joanna Bassett, Joel Lester, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Constable, John DeMain, Johnny Mercer, Juan Emilio Martini, Judith Blegen, Judith Raskin, Jules Barbier, Jules Laforgue, Karl Böhm, Karl Engel, Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Herrosee, Klaus Groth, Kurt Eichhorn, La Courte Paille, Laura Zaerr, Louise de Vilmorin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Manuel de Falla, Margarete Teschemacher, Martha Flowers, Martin Katz, Mathieu Ahlersmeyer, Matthew Arnold, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Maurice Carême, Melitta Muszely, Merry Peckham, Métamorphoses, Miriam Gideon, Nino [né Michel Jean Verber], Oscar Hammerstein II, Oscar Levertin, Paganini, Pagliacci, Patricia Spencer, Paul Knepler, Persée et Andromède, Pilar Lorengar, Prayers of Kierkegaard, Ralf Gothoni, Richard Strauss, Robert Gilbert, Robert le Diable, Robert Shaw, Robert Stolz, Ronald Roseman, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Samuel Barber, Show Boat, Søren Kierkegaard, St. Louis Woman, Taru Valjakka, Teresa Stratas, Walter Reisch, Zwei Herzen im Dreivierteltaktcountermelody

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The last of my festive potpourri episodes for this, my birthday month, this episode focuses on a favorite vocal range of this opera queen: the soprano voice, in all its variety and glory. Included are such pristine lyric voices as Erika Köth, Benita Valente (who just departed us last weekend, shortly after celebrating her 91st birthday), Judith Raskin, Judith Blegen, Mattiwilda Dobbs, and Edith Mathis, among others; medium- to heavier-weight lyric voices such as Pilar Lorengar, Delia Rigal, Teresa Stratas, Taru Valjakka, Melitta Muszely, and Margarete Teschemacher; and “ambiguous” voices as Arleen Augér, Martha Flowers, Irmgard Seefried, Andrée Esposito, Jill Gomez (pictured), Faye Robinson, Hilde Güden, and Elizabeth Harwood which could, if you’ll pardon the term, “swing both ways,” at least in terms of vocal weight! They perform a wide range of material of material including vocal chamber music by Manuel de Falla and Miriam Gideon; art song by Brahms, Bridge, Poulenc, Beethoven, Bizet, Granados, Sibelius, and Mahler; operetta and musical selections by Arlen, Lehár, Stolz, and Kern; and full-throated operatic selections by Richard Strauss, Jacques Ibert, Leoncavallo, and Meyerbeer. It’s another jam-packed episode guaranteed (in a limited sense) to bring you the full-range of listening pleasure.

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.