Tag Archives: Francesco Maria Piave

Episode 315. Gilda Cruz-Romo

December 15, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Holiday Music, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Ah Perfido!, Alexandre Dumas fils, Amilcare Ponchielli, Andrea Chénier, Andrea Maffei, Ángel de Saavedra, Angelo Campori, Anna Bolena, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Arrigo Boito, Attila, Carlo Bergonzi, Carlo Felice Cillario, Carmen, Colenton Freeman, Domenico Oliva, Emerson Buckley, Ernani, Felice Romani, Francesco Maria Piave, Friedrich Schiller, Gaetano Donizetti, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, Herrera de la Fuente, Il Trovatore, John Alexander, Jorge del Moral, Joseph Rescigno, Julius Rudel, La Boheme, La forza del destino, Le nozze di Figaro, Lorenzo da Ponte, Ludovic Halévy, Ludwig van Beethoven, Luigi Illica, Luisa Miller, Macbeth, Manon Lescaut, Marco Praga, Martin Smith, Matteo Manuguerra, Nicola Rescigno, Nikki Giovanni, Norma, Peter Maag, Pierre Beaumarchais, Portia White, Prosper Mérimée, Renato Simoni, Riccardo Muti, Richard Karp, Richard Wagner, Salvadore Cammarano, Tannhäuser, Temistocle Solera, Tobia Gorrio, Turandot, Umberto Giordano, Victor Hugo, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Herbert, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zacharias Werner, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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While I was growing up, Gilda Cruz-Romo was a fixture on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. At the time, I did not fully appreciate her, as I thought of her as a second-string singer on the roster. I saw her once on the Met tour as Desdemona opposite Jon Vickers, but for reasons none too flattering to me, I undervalued her. In recent years, however, I have completely revised my opinion, and now think that Gilda Cruz-Romo was both the most significant Mexican soprano ever to appear on the world’s stages, but also simply one of the finest lirico-spinto sopranos of the twentieth centuries. Fortunately there are many people that agree with me, including some devoted fans who have posted an extraordinary number of live recordings of the artist on YouTube and elsewhere. And this is especially helpful because, incredibly, Cruz-Romo never made any commercial recordings. This episode fully explores the career and repertoire of our subject for today, and includes performances of the soprano in her core Verdi and Puccini repertoire (including such surprises as Odabella, Lady Macbeth, and Turandot!), as well as less expected forays into Mozart and bel canto. Throughout her virtues shine forth: a plangently beautiful voice with a particularly radiant top wedded to an incredibly secure technique, which afforded her enormous flexibility and coloratura facility. Added to this, and paramount to her artistry, is a dedication to her craft and to music which sweeps all before it and raises her work into the realm of the sublime. I think of this episode (the last completely new episode I’ll be putting out this season) as a pre-birthday tribute, as the diva turns 85 years old on February 12, 2025. Other singers heard on the episode are tenors Carlo Bergonzi, Colenton Freeman, and John Alexander, and baritone Matteo Manuguerra; among the conductors are Zubin Mehta, Nicola Rescigno, Riccardo Muti, Peter Maag, and Julius Rudel.

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.

Episode 311. Ina Souez

November 30, 2024Art Song, Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, In Memoriam, Interview, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Operetta, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAda Negri, Albert Erede, Alberto Erede, Carl Schuricht, Carlo Gozzi, Carlo Zangarini, Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni, Eddie Brandt, Edvard Grieg, Ernani, Francesco Maria Piave, Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt, Fritz Busch, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Horatio Q. Birdbath, Ina Souez, John Brownlee, John Jacob Niles, Koloman von Pátaky, La Boheme, Lore Fischer, Lorenzo da Ponte, Loyd Simpson, Luigi Arditi, Luigi Denza, Luigi Illica, Luise Helletsgruber, Messa da Requiem, Oscar Straus, Ottorino Respighi, Renato Simoni, Salvatore Baccaloni, Spike Jones, Stanislaus Stange, The Chocolate Soldier, Turandot, Victor Hugo, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Because we American expats in Germany often celebrate Thanksgiving on the weekend after our compatriots in the US, I offer you today a second Thanksgiving episode, this one featuring the extraordinary Ina Souez (1903 – 1992), one of the few Native American singers to achieve worldwide fame on the operatic stage. (For those of you who are unaware, November is Native American Heritage Month). Though her career was truncated by world events, Souez’s place in the history of recorded sound is assured by virtue of her participation in the series of Mozart operas as produced by HMV in the mid-1930s as souvenirs of the first seasons of the Glyndebourne Festival. Indeed, one could argue that her Fiordiligi remains the standard by which all other interpreters are judged. This episode also includes recordings from both ends of Souez’s career, as it were, including an extraordinarily rare yet impressive and touching 1957 recording of Souez singing arias and songs long after her active career had ended. The episode also features Souez in near-definitive recordings from both Ernani and La Bohème, the latter particularly appropriate as we just recently observed the 100th anniversary of the death of Giacomo Puccini. Finally, this episode also serves as a memorial to Souez, who died 32 years ago this coming week.

Episode 298. Verdi Duets

October 15, 2024African American Singers, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers of ColorAlceo Galliera, Alexandre Dumas, Anselmo Colzani, Arrigo Boito, Boris Khaikin, Edita Gruberová, Eleanor Steber, Falstaff, Francesco Maria Piave, Francesco Molinar-Pradelli, Franco Bonisolli, Friedrich Schiller, Giorgio Zancanaro, Giuseppe Verdi, Il Trovatore, Ingvar Wixell, Irina Arkhipova, Joan Sutherland, John Alexander, Judith Raskin, La Traviata, Leonard Bernstein, Leonard Warren, Lorin Maazel, Luigi Alva, Luisa Miller, Margherita Rinaldi, Mario del Monaco, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Montserrat Caballé, Otello, Regina Resnik, Riccardo Chailly, Richard Bonynge, Rigoletto, Rolando Panerai, Rosanna Carteri, Salvadore Cammarano, Sherrill Milnes, Thomas Schippers, Tullio Serafin, Victor Hugo, Vladislav Piavko, Walter Berry, Wilfrid Pelletier, William Shakespearecountermelody

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Last week, absorbed in preparations for my own birthday, I passed over the birthday of the great Giuseppe Verdi, born 10 October 1813. Two years ago I produced a pair of Verdi episodes, and today I feature the one first published as a bonus episode at that time, which features duets from Luisa Miller, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Rigoletto, Otello, and Falstaff. In the spirit of my two recent episodes “Requiescat” and “In Pace,” I had the brilliant idea of highlighting great Verdi singers (and one conductor) who died in Octobers past, including: Joan Sutherland (October 10, 2010); Eleanor Steber (October 3, 1990); Montserrat Caballé (October 6, 2018); Vladislav Piavko (October 6, 2020); Rosanna Carteri (October 25, 2020); Leonard Bernstein (October 14, 1990); Walter Berry (October 27, 2000); Franco Bonisolli (October 30, 2003); Edita Gruberová (October 18, 2021); Ingvar Wixell (October 8, 2011); and Rolando Panerai (October 22, 2019). Heard alongside these musicians are the blazingly talented John Alexander, Sherrill Milnes, Leonard Warren, Irina Arkhipova, Mario del Monaco, Anselmo Colzani, Regina Resnik, Margherita Rinaldi, Giorgio Zancanaro, Luigi Alva, Judith Raskin, and Mattiwilda Dobbs. Live performances are featured alongside soundtrack recordings from three different operatic films, as well as a few rare studio recordings ensure that the great Giuseppe receives sufficient, if belated, accolades.

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 293. The Mysterious Mara Coleva

September 27, 2024Behind the Iron Curtain, Forgotten Divas, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAbbé Prevost, Adriana Lecouvreur, Aida, Alexander Ostrovsky, Alfredo Catalani, Alfredo Simonetto, Ángel de Saavedra, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Arturo Colautti, August Apel, Bruno Rigacci, Caliso Bassi, Carl Maria von Weber, Claudio Guastalla, Der Freischütz, Domenico Oliva, Eligio Possenti, Ernest Legouvé, Eugène Scribe, Francesco Cilea, Francesco Maria Piave, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Franco Faccio, Friedrich Laun, Friedrich Schiller, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Guglielmo Tell, Guillaume Tell, Hans Wiers-Jenssen, Hippolyte Bis, Il franco cacciatore, Johann Friedrich Kind, La Fiamma, La forza del destino, La Wally, Lodovico Rocca, Luigi Illica, Manon Lescaut, Mara Coleva, Marco Praga, Massimo Freccia, Nicola Zaccaria, Ottorino Respighi, Paolo Montarsolo, Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouycountermelody

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The Bulgarian soprano Mara Coleva (12 March 1922 – 22 October 2014) was a vital and versatile singer, the majority of whose career took place in Italy in the 1950s through the very early sixties. Her most prominent and readily-accessible recordings are all for the RAI (Radio-Televisione Italiana), including the role of Silvana in a 1955 recording from Milano and two Martini & Rossi-sponsored RAI concerts, one in Milano in 1957, and the other in Roma in 1961. These recordings reveal an artist with a well-schooled voice with a powerful dramatic sense, but one whose life remains to a great extent shrouded in mystery. It is an enormous thrill and privilege to present this great (if virtually unknown) artist in repertoire ranging from Rossini, Catalani, Cilea, Verdi, and twentieth-century Italian composers Ottorino Respighi and Lodovico Rocca. The episode ends with Coleva in a surprising and superbly-sung rendition of Agata’s big scena from Il franco cacciatore (better known as Weber’s Der Freischütz!)

Episode 290. Ileana Cotrubaș Revisited

September 17, 2024Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Happy Birthday, Ileana Cotrubas, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartA Midsummer Night’s Dream, Achille de Lauzières, Ádám Fischer, Alexander Pushkin, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfred Maria Willner, Alfredo Kraus, Antoni Ros-Marbà, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Arrigo Boito, Benjamin Britten, Bernard Haitink, Brent Ellis, Bruno Bartoletti, Camille du Locle, Christoph Friedrich Bretzner, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Eugene Onegin, Francesco Maria Piave, Friedrich Schiller, Gabor Ötvös, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Gottlieb Stephanie, Gregory Kunde, Heinz Reichert, Helmut Winschermann, Henri Murger, Hora Andreescu, Ileana Cotrubas, James Bowman, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Méry, La Boheme, La rondine, Luigi Illica, Luis Lima, Mabel Perelstein, Mark Ermler, Pagliacci, Peter Pears, Piero Cappuccilli, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Silvio Varviso, Simon Boccanegra, Trudy Hines, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Schöne, Yevgeny Onegincountermelody

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More than four years ago, I published my very first bonus episode on Patreon, which I offer here in a fancy new setting and with a wonderful new coda. When I first published an episode on the great Ileana Cotrubaș in honor of her 81st birthday, I promised a bonus episode which would offer further examples of this treasurable artist’s plangent and pathos-filled singing. This episode explores delves deeper into Cotrubaș’s artistic legacy, examining roles that she took on later in her career, including Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Nedda in Pagliacci, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, and Desdemona in Otello. In addition, I play excerpts of roles that lay somewhat outside of her normal repertoire, including Tatyana in Yevgeny Onegin, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, and Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is followed by two extended live excerpts of her two greatest roles, Mimì in La Bohème and Violetta in La Traviata. The entire episode is capped with an exquisite example of Cotrubaș singing Bach, in anticipation of a new all-Bach episode at the end of the week.

Episode 288. Teresa Żylis-Gara Revisited

September 10, 2024Behind the Iron Curtain, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfredo Kraus, Andrea Chénier, Antonio Somma, Ariadne auf Naxos, Auguste Barbier, Benvenuto Cellini, Berislav Klobučar, David Belasco, Die Zauberflöte, Emanuel Schikaneder, Eugène Scribe, Francesco Maria Piave, Franco Bonisolli, Giacomo Puccini, Gianfranco Masini, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Hector Berlioz, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jacek Kaspszyk, James Levine, Jean Fournet, John Alexander, John Henry Long, José Carreras, Jules Massenet, La Boheme, La Traviata, Leif Segerstam, Léon de Wailly, Luciano Pavarotti, Luigi Illica, Manon, Peter Lindroos, Philippe Gille, Piero Visconti, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Richard Woitach, Seiji Ozawa, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Tannhäuser, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Umberto Giordano, Un ballo in maschera, Wiesław Ochman, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Brendelcountermelody

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Today I revisit the life, career, and sumptuous voice of the great Polish soprano Teresa Żylis-Gara, who died three years ago on 28 August 2021 at the age of 91. The soprano was for the most part shockingly under-recorded, so I have scoured the internet for examples of her live in performance, and unearthed examples of her singing Wagner, Massenet, Puccini, Verdi, Strauss, Giordano, Mozart, and Berlioz with some divine tenorial counterparts including Franco Bonisolli, José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, John Alexander, Alfredo Kraus, Wiesław Ochman, Peter Lindroos, and Piero Visconti. I know I am not the only one who revels in the rich velvety timbre of Mme. Żylis-Gara, and each of the tenors heard alongside her presents her versatile voice in a different facet of its beauty.

Episode 286. Julia Varady Revisited

September 3, 2024Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAlexander von Zemlinsky, Algis Zhuraitis, Ángel de Saavedra, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Aribert Reimann, Arrigo Boito, Béla Bartók, Bernd Weikl, Carlo Cossutta, Carlos Kleiber, Claus H. Henneberg, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Ernst von Wolzogen, Feuersnot, Francesco Maria Piave, Gerd Albrecht, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Giuseppe Verdi, Heinz Fricke, Julia Varady, Kurt Moll, La forza del destino, Lorin Maazel, Modest Tchaikovsky, Otello, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Rabindranath Tagore, Richard Strauss, Vladimir Atlantov, Wanda Gleiman, William Shakespeare, Zoltán Kodálycountermelody

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This week, the sublime Julia Varady celebrated her 83rd birthday, and here at Countermelody that is an occasion well worth commemorating and celebrating. I’m newly home in Berlin, but with a huge pile of “welcome home” stuff that I have to attend to, so this episode consists of bonus content that I published a year ago while I was (once again) in transit between my extended visit to the US and my return home to Berlin. It was a doozy of a trip (and not in a good way!) but this is a doozy of an episode in the best way possible. That Julia Varady could sing! And this episode presents numerous extended operatic excerpts, from Otello, Lear, Feuersnot, Pique-Dame, and Forza del destino, plus songs by Bartók, Zemlinsky, and Kodály, the latter of which in particular, an arrangement of a Hungarian folk song which offers a feminist spin on the Bluebeard story, will knock you on your ear!

Episode 284. Claudia Muzio Revisited

August 27, 2024Art Song, Bel canto, Claudia Muzio, Crossover, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAlexandre Dumas fils, Alfred Bachelet, Alfred de Musset, Alphonse Daudet, Antônio Carlos Gomes, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Arrigo Boito, Bianca e Fernando, Carlo Roti, Cavalleria Rusticana, Cecilia, Claudia Muzio, David Belasco, Domenico Gilardoni, Emidio Mucci, Émile Moreau, Enrico Golisciani, Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Eugène Adénis-Colombeau, Eugène de Mirecourt, Felice Romani, Francesco Cilea, Francesco Maria Piave, Francesco Merli, George Frideric Handel, Giacomo Puccini, Giacomo Rossi, Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti, Giovanni Verga, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Guido Menasci, Henri Murger, Il segreto di Susanna, John Luther Long, L’Arlesiana, La Boheme, La Traviata, Léo Delibes, Leopoldo Marenco, Licinio Refice, Lorenzo Molajoli, Luigi Illica, Madama Butterfly, Madame Sans-Gêne, Otello, Paride ed Elena, Pietro Mascagni, Ranieri de’ Calzabigi, Renato Simoni, Rinaldo, Salvator Rosa, Torquato Tasso, Umberto Giordano, Victorien Sardou, Vincenzo Bellini, William Shakespearecountermelody

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Claudia Muzio was known as “the Duse of Song,” a title that might be lost somewhat in time, since it refers to the great stage actress Eleanora Duse, felt to rank among the greatest actresses of all time. She is one of a handful of singers that number among my most beloved vocal artists of all time and all genres. As such, Muzio is not only featured in the theme music to every single Countermelody episode, she was also the rightful star of Countermelody’s hundredth episode. In choosing the repertoire for that episode, I made a too-large selection of must-hear Muzio selections. These spilled over into a bonus episode which I am now releasing for all of my listeners. Among those recordings we hear: Muzio singing Handel; two recordings of Muzio singing Mimì, including her earliest recording, made in 1911; several unusual so-called verismo arias; Muzio as both classicist (Gluck) and bel cantista (Bellini); Muzio singing light classical parlor songs; and then two capstones of her recorded legacy: the “Dio ti giocondi” duet from Otello with the Italian dramatic tenor Francesco Merli; and the death scene from Licinio Refice’s Cecilia, a staged sacra rappresentazione written expressly for Muzio. These last two works were also heard in my recent Renata Scotto memorial tribute, and make for a fascinating comparison between these two great artists.

Episode 279. Ernst Kozub Reappraised

August 11, 2024French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAida, Alan Bush, Albert Lortzing, Alfred Matschat, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Ariadne auf Naxos, Arlene Saunders, Arrigo Boito, Brigitte Fassbaender, Claire Watson, Der goldene Pierrot, Die Zauberflöte, Don Carlo, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Elisabeth Grümmer, Emanuel Schikaneder, Erich Börschel, Erich Leinsdorf, Ernst Kozub, Ferenc Fricsay, Fidelio, Francesco Maria Piave, Franz Bauer Theussl, Friedrich Schiller, Fritz Jöde, Georg Solti, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Gundula Janowitz, Günther Wich, Hans Freese, Hans Hermann Henning, Heinz Wallberg, Henri Murger, Hermann Löns, Hilde Zadek, Hoffmanns Erzählungen, Horst Stein, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jacques Offenbach, Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, Johann Christoph Grünbaum, Joseph Sonnleithner, Jules Barbier, La Boheme, Leonore, Leopold Ludwig, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Lohengrin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Luigi Illica, Marie-Louise Girod, Matthias Kuntzsch, Melitta Muszely, Michel Carré, Nancy Bush, Oskar Felix, Otello, Otto Kleiner, Otto van Matzerath, Peter Schreier, Philipp Rumschinski, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Rigoletto, Robert Wagner, Tannhäuser, Theo Adam, Walter Goetze, Walter Schartner, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallischcountermelody

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Have you heard of the remarkable German Heldentenor Ernst Kozub? If you haven’t, you’re in for a special treat. And if you have, you know doubt have preconceived notions about him, which I hope that you will be prepared to set aside as I present an episode that explores the many facets of an often unjustly-maligned artist. Throughout his short life (he died in December 1971 shortly before his 48th birthday), Ernst Kozub performed a wide range of roles and styles of music, but he was certainly most celebrated for his Wagner and Strauss roles, as well as for his Florestan in Fidelio. The musical selections I have chosen today surround him with some of the most impressive of the jugendlich dramatisch soprano voices of the era, including Hilde Zadek, Melitta Muszely, Elisabeth Grümmer, and Gundula Janowitz, with special emphasis placed on two American sopranos whose careers were primarily based in Europe: Arlene Saunders and Claire Watson. Kozub also performs Schlager, operetta, Jewish cantorial music, nostalgic quasi-folk music, and operas by Offenbach, and Puccini, as well as his particular favorite, Verdi, all sung in German translation.

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 275. Margaret Tynes (Listeners’ Favorites)

July 27, 2024African American Singers, Black History Month, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Spirituals, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaA Drum Is a Woman, Aida, Anita Turner-Butler, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Billy Strayhorn, Brock Peters, Creole Folk Songs, DuBose Heyward, Duke Ellington, Francesco Maria Piave, George Gershwin, George Shirley, Georges Bizet, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Giuseppe Verdi, Hedwig Lachmann, Ira Gershwin, János Gyulai Gaal, LeVern Hutcherson, Lili Chookasian, Macbeth, Margaret Tynes, Mariette Bey, Massimo Bruni, Oscar Wilde, Pál Varga, Paul Belanger, Porgy and Bess, Richard Strauss, Salome, Spirituals, Stabat Mater (Pergolesi), Thomas Schippers, Warren Edward Vincent, William Shakespearecountermelody

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On March 7, 2024, the legendary African American soprano Margaret Tynes died at the age of 104. During the second season of Countermelody, I featured the singer, who at the time was a mere 101 years old, on one of my Black History Month episodes. She was a unique artist, fearlessly forging her own musical, dramatic, and vocal path, aided and abetted by a strong voice with a powerful top register. Though she made a number of significant appearances in her homeland earlier in her career (including a televised appearance in Duke Ellington’s jazz suite, A Drum Is a Woman), her later successes were focused primarily in Europe, where she was particularly celebrated for her extraordinary Salome, with which she created a sensation in Spoleto in 1961, and her Lady Macbeth. Excerpts from all of these and more are featured on this episode, which also includes spirituals and Creole folk songs, as well as arias and duets from Aida, Carmen, and Porgy and Bess. Guest artists include LeVern Hutcherson, most remembered today for his appearances on stage and screen in Porgy, and George Shirley, the first African American tenor to sing at the Metropolitan Opera.

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 270. Eleanor Steber Revisited

July 5, 2024Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Queer Pride, Rescue Mission, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAl Goodman, Al Vann, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfred Bachelet, Allen Rogers, Augustus Toplady, Barron Smith, Bernard Zaslav, Brian Sullivan, Buddy DeSylva, Carlo Gozzi, Carlo Zangarini, Cesare Sterbini, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Claude Debussy, David Belasco, David Broekman, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Dimitri Mitropoulos, DuBose Heyward, Édouard Guinand, Edwin Biltcliffe, Eleanor Steber, Eugène Adénis-Colombeau, Francesco Maria Piave, Francis Scott Key, Frank Loesser, Frederick Flaxington Harker, Fritz Stiedry, George Gershwin, Giacomo Puccini, Gian Carlo Menotti, Giangiacom Guelfi, Gioachino Rossini, Giovanni Battista Guarini, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Verdi, Guelfo Civinini, Hector Berlioz, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Hugo Wolf, Igor Kipnis, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Ira Gershwin, James Melton, Jean-Philippe Rameau, John Stafford Smith, Juan López de Úbeda, Jussi Bjorling, L’enfant prodigue, La Fanciulla del West, La Traviata, Les nuits d’été, Lilla Kalman, Lohengrin, Maytime (Romberg). Harold Barlow, Nelson Eddy, Oklahoma!, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Heyse, Pembroke Davenport, Pierre Beaumarchais, Porgy and Bess, Renato Simoni, Richard Rodgers, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Rida Johnson Young, Robert K. Evans, Robert Katscher, Rosalind Elias, Rupert Brooke, Samuel Barber, Sigmund Romberg, Sonya Monsoff, Spanisches Liederbuch, Sterling Hunkins, Théophile Gautier, Thomas Hastings, Turandot, Vanessa (Barber), Where’s Charley?, Wilfrid Pelletier, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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I sat in my apartment in Berlin on the Fourth of July wondering how, after the events of this past Monday, I can possibly pay tribute to our nation as it “celebrated” its birthday. Then it hit me: since I would never in a million years produce an episode of patriotic musical material, why not pay tribute to a great American singer instead? I had already been planning an upcoming bonus episode on ELEANOR STEBER, the singer I consider to be one of the greatest (if not the greatest) soprano that our country has ever produced! Nearly two years ago, with the help of my dear friend Michelle Oesterle, who was Eleanor’s step-daughter, I produced an episode dedicated to her; today’s episode will not delve so much into the (still-controversial) person that Eleanor was, but rather offer a cross-section, over the course of more than 40 years, of the wide variety of styles and repertoire in which Steber excelled. Who else could traverse a range of repertoire from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Mozart, Rameau to Wagner, Berlioz to Romberg with such ease and joyful authority? Not only do I explore her longevity, I explore her unparalleled prowess as a vocal technician; as well as her well-documented bad treatment by the Metropolitan Opera and its then-general manager, Rudolf Bing. I also look at the recordings that Steber and her then-husband, Michelle’s father, produced on their own ST/AND label in the early sixties, and then hear Steber sing some quintessentially American music from classic musicals. Along the way, I consider some serious topics, including betrayal, alcoholism, and the power of embedded memory. Finally, I consider the possibility that Eleanor Steber’s celebrated portrayal of Minnie in La fanciulla del West might just offer a possible solution for the divisiveness and political turmoil in which our country currently finds itself. Featured guest singers on the episode include Nelson Eddy, Brian Sullivan, Rosalind Elias, and Jussi Björling; musical collaborators include Dimitri Mitropoulos, Igor Kipnis, Allen Rogers, Fritz Stiedry, and her frequent concert and radio collaborators Howard Barlow and Edwin Biltcliffe.

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 262. Sylvia Sass Revisited

May 17, 2024Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Sylvia Sass, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAdalbert von Chamisso, Alain Lombard, Aldo Ceccato, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfred Grünwald, Alfred Maria Willner, András Kórodi, András Schiff, András Sebestyén, Andrea Maffei, Andrea Martin, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Béla Bartók, Béni Egressy, Charles Gounod, Cosi fan tutte, Cristina Brancato, Emmerich Kálmán, Endre Ady, Ervin Lukács, Ferenc Erkel, Ferenc Szőnyi, Fernando Previtali, Francesco Maria Piave, Frauenliebe und -leben, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Giorgio Moroder, Giovanni Foiani, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Verdi, Gräfin Mariza, Heinz Reichert, Hunyadi László, I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata, Irene Cara, Iván Bradányi, János Kovács, Jesus Christ Superstar, José Carreras, Joseph von Eichendorff, Jules Barbier, Julius Brammer, Keith Forsey, La rondine, La Traviata, Lamberto Gardelli, Lili Áldor, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lucia di Lammermoor, Ludwig van Beethoven, Macbeth, Maria Grazia Piolatto, Michel Carré, Michel Plasson, Neil Shicoff, Nicola Ghiuselev, Patrizia Dordi, Péter Wolf, Richard Strauss, Richard Woitach, Robert Schumann, Roméo et Juliette, Rosanna Didonè, Ryszard Karczykowski, Salvadore Cammarano, Sylvia Sass, Temistocle Solera, Tim Rice, Tommaso Grossi, Tosca, Vier letzte Lieder, Walter Scott, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zsolt Durkócountermelody

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Several summers ago I published my first episode celebrating the artistry of Sylvia Sass which primarily featured her 1984 album of pop songs sung in Hungarian. At the time I called it, without any irony, the finest crossover album of the 1980s and one of the best of all time. Sass is an artist who continues to engage discourse. Many of the opinions, theories, and input encountered therein are predicated on dissecting the reasons for her short international career. My objective with today’s episode, however, is simply to celebrate Sass’s singing in all its glory, extending from the standard Italian operatic repertoire with which she is most associated through the thorniest contemporary idioms to the subtlest art song to the most refined Mozart singing, with, once again, a nod to the pop material which initially drew me to her. I always say that I believe in giving flowers to our favorite artists when they are still around to receive them, and today’s bouquet is a stunning display full of color and variety humbly presented to one of my favorite divas.

Episode 259. Lawrence Winters Revisited

April 27, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month 2024, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAaron Copland, Anacreon, Andrea Chénier, Anny Schlemm, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Armand Silvestre, Carlo Pepoli, Charles F. Keary, Cole Porter, Der Bajazzo, Francesco Cimmino, Francesco Maria Piave, Franz Schubert, Franz von Bruchmann, Frederick Delius, Gabriel Faure, George Frideric Handel, Gerhard Gregor, Giacomo Rossi, Giovanni Battista Guarini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustave Flaubert, Hans-Arno Simon, Harry Hermann, Henri Grémont, Hermann Spitz, Hermann von Gilm, Hérodiade, I Puritani, Il Trovatore, János Kulka, Jerome Kern, Jules Massenet, Julius Rudel, Karl Henckell, Koanga, Langston Hughes, Lawrence Winters, Luigi Illica, Oscar Hammerstein II, Pagliacci, Paolo Tosti, Paul Milliet, Pietro Metastasio, Richard Rodgers, Richard Strauss, Rida Johnson Young, Rigoletto, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Salvadore Cammarano, Show Boat, Sigmund Romberg, South Pacific, Stanford Robinson, Troubled Island, Umberto Giordano, Verna Arvey, Victor Hugo, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Martin, Wilhelm Schüchter, William Grant Still, Willy Hoffmanncountermelody

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During the first season of Countermelody I presented the great African American baritone Lawrence Winters in an episode which paired him with his contemporary Robert McFerrin. Today Winters (born Lawrence Whisonant in South Carolina on 12 November 1915 and died of cancer in Hamburg at age 49 on 24 September 1965) returns center stage to Countermelody in a program which focuses on his prowess in standard operatic repertoire and art song. After vocal study with Todd Duncan at Howard University, Winters toured for several years with the Eva Jessye Choir before enlisting as a member of the Armed Forces. Upon returning to the US, he appeared in Harold Rome’s Broadway musical revue Call Me Mister. In 1948 he debuted at New York City Opera, the first Black male singer to perform there; he performed there for seven seasons, returning for a single performance as Porgy in 1962. He made his first trip to Europe in 1949 and in 1950 joined the roster of the Royal Swedish Opera, with whom he sang for two seasons. Thereafter, he joined the ensemble of the Hamburg Opera and later, the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He also performed at the Wiener Staatsoper and the San Francisco Opera. He returned to the Broadway stage in 1960, garnering a Tony nomination for his appearance opposite Joya Sherrill in the play The Long Dream. In the last year of his life he also appeared in Germany in the title role of Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones. He made a large number of recordings for Philips, Deutsche Grammophon and other labels, as well as a slew of radio recordings, many of the latter of which are featured on this episode. A certified star in Germany, Winters was often featured in pop music that appealed to the German public of the time but which, frankly, was not always worthy of his talent. In this episode I present him in repertoire that reveals him as one of the primarily Verdi and verismo baritones of his era, even when he was singing those roles in German translation. We also hear Winters in excerpts from two operas in which the protagonists are specifically Black: Frederick Delius’s Koanga and William Grant Still’s Troubled Island.

Episode 258. (Frank) Lopardopalooza

April 18, 2024Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Interview, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers in Old Age, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlberto Zedda, Alexandre Dumas, Andrew Davis, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Antonio Somma, Arrigo Boito, Ascher Fisch, Bruno Campanella, Carl Orff, Carmina Burana, Cesare Sterbini, Cosi fan tutte, Cristina Gallardo-Domâs, Don Giovanni, Donald Runnicles, Eugène Scribe, Felice Romani, Francesco Maria Piave, Frank Lopardo, Gaetano Donizetti, Georg Solti, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Henri Murger, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Il Turco in Italia, Ion Marin, Jean-François Bayard, John Fiore, Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, Kathleen Kim, La Boheme, La fille du regiment, La Traviata, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lucia di Lammermoor, Luigi Illica, Marco Armiliato, Messa da Requiem (Verdi), Michel Trempont, Pierre Beaumarchais, Riccardo Muti, Robert Spano, Robert White, Salvadore Cammarano, Seiji Ozawa, Semiramide, Simon Boccanegra, Sondra Radvanovsky, Un ballo in maschera, Verónica Villarroel, Walter Scott, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Today I present to you the American lyric tenor Frank Lopardo, who from 1984 through 2014 appeared in all the major opera houses of the world, celebrated particularly for his Mozart and Rossini roles. Too often today these superb singers even from the recent past are forgotten by today’s audiences, and my listeners know that it is always a mission of mine to celebrate great artists who, for whatever reason, are not in the forefront of the public’s awareness. In Frank’s case, I suggest it has absolutely nothing to do with his stellar voice and astounding technique. Some singers are content to do their job and live their lives and serve the music and the art form to the best of their considerable abilities without engaging in antics or self-destructive behavior. A quick glance at Frank’s accomplishments and the musicians with whom he collaborated makes it immediately clear that his career unfolded naturally and organically at the highest levels. Today’s episode explores the infinite variety of Lopardo’s artistry and his impeccable musicianship and technique, which aided him in his pursuit of always discovering new aspects of the central roles in his career. Conductors with whom he collaborated (and as heard on the episode) include Georg Solti, Claudio Abbado, Ion Marin, Riccardo Muti, Robert Spano, and the late Seiji Ozawa. While Lopardo was never tempted to move outside the natural confines of his lyric voice, he did in the final years of his career, move into some of Verdi’s larger lyric tenor parts, in operas like Un ballo in maschera and Simon Boccanegra, both of which are sampled here. We also hear Frank in duet with some of his favorite colleagues, including memorable Chilean sopranos Verónica Villarroel and Cristina Gallardo-Domâs. It was all I could do not to entitle this episode Lopardopalooza, ‘cause that’s exactly what it is!

Episode 222. Shirley Verrett, Falcon Sfogatissima

November 9, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Protest Songs, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAchille de Lauzières, Aida, Alceste, Anton Guadagno, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Antonio Somma, Arrigo Boito, Bernard Haitink, Camille du Locle, Camille Saint-Saens, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Claudio Abbado, Don Carlo, Edward Downes, Eugène Scribe, Euripedes, Euripides, Eve Queler, Ferdinand Lemaire, Fidelio, Francesco Maria Piave, François-Benoît Hoffmann, François-Louis Gand le Bland du Roullet, Friedrich Schiller, George Frideric Handel, Georges Pretre, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Grace Bumbry, Iphigénie en Tauride, James McCracken, Jan Behr, Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, Johannes Brahms, Joseph Méry, Joseph Sonnleithner, Kenneth Montgomery, Leonard De Paur, Luciano Pavarotti, Ludovico Ariosti, Ludwig van Beethoven, Luigi Cherubini, Luigi Illica, Macbeth, Marius Nygaard, Medée, Messa da Requiem, Michael Schønwandt, Norma, Otello, Pete Seeger, Ranieri de’ Calzabigi, Richard Wagner, Robert Massard, Samson et Dalila, Sarah Caldwell, Seiji Ozawa, Sherrill Milnes, Shirley Verrett, Stefan Soltesz, Tristan und Isolde, Un ballo in maschera, Veriano Luchetti, Victorien Sardou, Vier ernste Gesänge, Vincenzo Bellini, Warren Wilson, William Shakespeare, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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It is hard to believe that it’s already been 13 years since the death of Shirley Verrett on November 5, 2010. It has also already been four years since I did a pair of episodes on this extraordinary and beloved artist, and this anniversary gives me the perfect excuse to revisit the work of this mezzo-soprano turned soprano who more than any other singer in my experiences (even soon-to-be birthday girl Maria Callas) was capable of singing nearly anything. This type of singer is sometimes referred to as a soprano sfogato (or a falcon, after the 19th century French mezzo-cum-soprano Cornélie Falcon. Since Verrett, like Falcon, sang both mezzo and soprano, I instead coin the term falcon sfogatissima to describe her vocal magic. This episode is chock full of examples of Verrett’s impassioned yet technically-grounded vocalism, from art songs by Brahms and Pasatieri to operatic roles by Handel, Gluck, Cherubini, Bellini, Puccini, and Verdi (including both soprano and mezzo roles in Aida and the Messa da Requiem and soprano roles in Ballo in Maschera, Macbeth, Don Carlo, and Otello). I close the episodes with Verrett’s astonishing but limited forays into the German operatic repertoire. Her collaborators on this episode include conductors Seiji Ozawa, Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink, Zubin Mehta, Eve Queler, Georges Prêtre, Sarah Caldwell, and the late Kenneth Montgomery; and fellow operatic greats Sherrill Milnes, Luciano Pavarotti, James McCracken, Robert Massard (last week’s featured artist), and her frenemy the late Grace Bumbry.

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 213. Julia Varady

September 7, 2023Art Song, Bel canto, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlexandre Dumas fils, Alfredo Catalani, Algis Zhuraitis, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Aribert Reimann, Arta Florescu, Attila (Verdi), Béla Bartók, Carlo Colombara, Carol Litvin, Christian Friederich Henrici, Claus H. Henneberg, David Belasco, Der fliegende Holländer, Don Giovanni, Elena Bashkirova, Francesco Maria Piave, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Gerd Albrecht, Giacomo Puccini, Giovanni da Gammera, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Giuseppe Verdi, Heinrich Heine, Heinz Wallberg, Herbert von Karajan, Il Trovatore, Jacques Offenbach, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Henry Long, Julia Varady, Klára Gombossy, La Traviata, La Wally, Leopold Hager, Lucio Silla, Luigi Illica, Madama Butterfly, Marcello Bufalini, Modest Tchaikovsky, Neville Marriner, Picander, Pique-Dame, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Raimund Grumbach, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Salvadore Cammarano, Siegfried Jerusalem, Temistocle Solera, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallischcountermelody

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A week ago the extraordinary Hungarian-German soprano Julia Varady turned 82. As she is one of my favorite sopranos, I have presented her a few times on the podcast, but never on an episode devoted exclusively to her. There is no time like the present to rectify that situation. Varady had an exceptional and unusual career, centered mostly in Europe, where she was celebrated first as a Mozart soprano, later for her fearless portrayals of the full range of Verdi heroines. Elsewhere in the world, primarily because of her recordings, she was considered mostly a Strauss singer, who also dipped her toe into some of the Wagner jugendlich dramatisch heroines. As today’s traversal proves, she was all that, but also much more: a singer with a gutsy dramatic instinct and a technique that allowed her to take on roles that might have been a few sizes too large for her vocally, but which she portrayed with vigor and fearlessness such as have been matched by only a few of the very greatest sopranos. It is also my objective in this episode to consider her accomplishment independently from that of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, her husband from 1977 until his death in 2012, regarded by many as one of the most significant baritones of the last century. But my (perhaps idiosyncratic) view is that, particularly because of their very different artistic personalities, her achievements, especially on the operatic stage, outrank his. See if you agree with me. We also hear contributions from tenors Siegfried Jerusalem and Franco Tagliavini, soprano Arta Florescu (Varady’s teacher), and baritone Raimund Grumbach, along with pianists Elena Bashkirova and Aribert Reimann (whose compositional masterpiece Lear is also sampled), and conductors Wolfgang Sawallisch, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Algis Zhuraitis, Jesús López-Cobos, Neville Marriner, Herbert von Karajan, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, and István Kertész.

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 198. Cesare Valletti

May 26, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Schubert, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless Wonders, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlessandro Scarlatti, Alexandre Dumas, Cesare Valletti, Cosi fan tutte, David Bowie, Dichterliebe, Eduard Mörike, Edvard Grieg, Eleanor Steber, Eugène Scribe, Felice Romani, Francesco Maria Piave, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt, Fritz Stiedry, Gaetano Donizetti, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Antonicelli, Giuseppe Verdi, Hector Berlioz, Heinrich Heine, Hugo Wolf, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Jules Massenet, L’amico Fritz, L’italiana in Algeri, La Traviata, Leo Taubman, Les nuits d’été, Lorenzo da Ponte, Mafalda Favero, Maria Callas, Matthäus von Collin, Nicola Rescigno, Pietro Mascagni, Robert Schumann, Rosanna Carteri, Ruth and Thomas Martin, Stefano Donaudy, Théophile Gautier, Tina Turner, Tito Schipa, Vittorio Gui, Werther, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Today’s episode celebrates the Italian tenore di grazia Cesare Valletti (18 December 1923 – 13 May 2000), perhaps the last in a lineage of Italian lyric tenors. Valletti studied under his illustrious predecessor Tito Schipa and rapidly conquered first the Italian opera houses, and then the world stages, with his small-scale but superbly produced voice and his spontaneous yet exacting musicianship. From 1953 through 1960 he was a mainstay of the Metropolitan Opera and also performed at opera houses and festivals worldwide under some of the greatest conductors and at the side of the greatest singers of his day. We hear a sampling of his greatest operatic roles, including duets with Eleanor Steber, Rosanna Carteri, and Maria Callas, as well as the repertoire in which – nearly unique for an Italian singer – he excelled: art song. The combination of his Italianate timbre with his scrupulous and imaginative musicianship makes for an ineffable and deeply satisfying artistic experience. He made five LPs of recital repertoire, including two live recitals from the stage of Town Hall in New York City, excerpts of which are all offered here. The episode begins with a tribute to the beloved Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll: Tina Turner, who died on Tuesday at the age of 83.

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 193. Alexander Kipnis

April 21, 2023Art Song, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, SchubertAlexander Kipnis, Alexander Pushkin, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Arrigo Boito, Arthur Bergh, Arturo Toscanini, Boris Godunov, Celius Dougherty, Clemens Schmalstich, Coenraad V. Bos, Der Rosenkavalier, Der Zauberflöte, Detlev von Liliencron, Dichterliebe, Emanuel Schikaneder, Erich Ortmann, Ernst Victor Wolff, Folk Song, Francesco Maria Piave, Frank Bibb, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Schiller, Georg Friedrich Daumer, Gerald Moore, Giuseppe Verdi, Gleb Yellin, Heinrich Heine, Hermann Lingg, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Hugo Wolf, Italienisches Liederbuch, J. Michel Diack, Johannes Brahms, Joseph von Eichendorff, Ludwig Rellstab, Michelangelo, Modest Mussorgsky, Nicolai Berezovsky, Paul Heyse, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Robert Schumann, Schwanengesang, Simon Boccanegra, Tristan und Isolde, Walter Heinrich Robert-Tornow, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Rosécountermelody

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If I were to indulge in the foolish task of dubbing certain artists the “Greatest Ever,” I would have little hesitation in naming Ukrainian-American bass Alexander Kipnis (1891–1978) “the greatest” in several categories: greatest Wagner bass, greatest low-voiced Lieder singer, just maybe even the greatest bass ever captured on recording. Though I am trying to wean myself of these designations, I have no difficulty in naming Kipnis my favorite bass. In this episode, his operatic impersonations, though legendary, are touched on but peripherally: the focus instead is on his contributions in art song, specifically Lieder. Despite his heavily-accented German (which to my ear only increases the power of his interpretations in songs like Schubert’s “Aufenthalt” or Wolf’s Michelangelo-Lieder), Kipnis was as keenly attuned to text and its musical setting than any singer of art song before or since. As usual of late in my episodes, I begin with several short contrasting examples that illustrate the “why” question: why was this artist so important, and why does he remain so? There follow a few all-too-brief examples of Kipnis in opera, including examples stretching back to his earliest recordings in 1916, when he was barely 25 years old. Then follow a further examination of Kipnis’s Lieder recordings, including a rare 1943 radio broadcast of Schumann’s Dichterliebe accompanied by Wolfgang Rosé, the son-in-law of Gustav Mahler, as well as recordings issued under the aegis of the Hugo Wolf Society and the Johannes Brahms Society, and his matchless early recordings of the songs of Franz Schubert, which were my introduction not only to Kipnis’s magisterial voice, but also the songs themselves. In all of this material, whether tender, ardent, humorous, or transcendent, Kipnis’s dignity and humanity shine through.

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 192. Virginia Zeani: The Soul of the Voice

April 14, 2023Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAida, Alberto Zedda, Alexander Pushkin, Alexandre Dumas, Alfredo Simonetto, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Arrigo Boito, Aureliano Pertile, Benjamin Britten, Boris Godunov, Carlo Sabajno, Cornel Trailescu, David Belasco, Death in Venice, Don Carlo, Edward Downes, Francesco Cavalli, Francesco Maria Piave, Franz Bauer Theussl, Friedrich Schiller, Gaetano Donizetti, George Frideric Handel, Giacomo Puccini, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Gioacchino Rossini, Giulio Cesare, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Gloria Foglizzo, Henry Purcell, Ildebrando Pizzetti, Ion Buzea, James Bowman, Jean Bobescu, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, La Calisto, La Traviata, Leopold Stokowski, Lohengrin, Luigi Illica, Lute Songs, Lydia Lipowska, Madama Butterfly, Matthäus-Passion, Mefistofele, Melitta Muszely, Mihai Bradiceanu, Modest Mussorgsky, Myfanwy Piper, Nicola Rossi-Lemeni, Nicolae Herlea, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Otello, Philip Ledger, Raymond Leppard, Richard Wagner, Robert Stolz, Robert Tear, Salvadore Cammarano, Snegurochka, T.S. Eliot, The Fairy Queen, Thomas Mann, Tosca, Vincenzo Bellezza, Virginia Zeani, Walter Scott, Walther von der Vogelweide, William Shakespearecountermelody

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A number of significant classical and opera singers have died in this calendar year, and this episode pays tribute to three of them. First, James Bowman, the most significant British countertenor since Alfred Deller, who died on March 27th in his 82nd year. Second, Melitta Muszely, the Austrian jugendlich dramatisch soprano of Hungarian origin who died in her native Vienna at the age of 95 on January 18. And finally, a loss which reverberated around the operatic world with particularly poignancy and finality, the great Romanian soprano Virginia Zeani, who died on March 20 at the age of 97. While the focus of the episode is on Zeani, I also discuss the significance and contributions of Bowman and Muszely in detail, as well as offering examples of some of their best recordings. In the case of Zeani, I offer a thorough career and biographical overview, including excerpts from her rare studio recordings as well as live material from both the early and late years of her performing career. Also included are recordings by her teachers Lydia Lipowska and Aureliano Pertile, and her husband, the Italian-Russian bass Nicola Rossi Lemeni. And leave it to me to find a way of bringing three such disparate artists as Bowman, Muszely, and Zeani together at the conclusion of the episode!

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 184. Eugene Holmes (Black History Month 2023)

February 17, 2023African American Singers, Bel canto, BHM2023WK3, Black History Month, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Interview, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAida, Arnold Kempkens, Barbara Carter, Bonita Hyman, Charles Francis Keary, Charles Groves, Claudia Lindsey, Eugene Holmes, Francesco Maria Piave, Frederick Delius, Georges Bizet, Giorgio Aristo, Giuseppe Verdi, Günter Marx, Gwyneth Jones, Harry T. Burleigh, Hector Urbón, Heribert Klein, János B. Nagy, Joseph Rezits, Koanga, La forza del destino, Pagliacci, Paul Callaway, Riccardo Muti, Rigoletto, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Spirituals, Stephen Harrison, Victor Hugo, Yoram Davidcountermelody

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Eugene Holmes (1932 – 2007), baritone supreme, should be remembered as one of the most significant voices of the Twentieth Century and a Black singer on a par with the most revered and celebrated. Though he participated in the creation of some important work (including by Gian Carlo Menotti, Gunther Schuller, and Frederick Delius), and performed with San Francisco Opera, the Wiener Staatsoper, New York City Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera Regional Company, his career remained centered for more than thirty years at his home company, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. The rare recorded documents that we have of Eugene Holmes, including two self-produced LPs of spirituals and three different recordings of Delius’s rare opera Koanga (two of them live), reveal a voice of rare magnitude, range, power, and sensitivity, qualities which made him one of the premier Verdi baritones of his day. But due to a number of factors, including his modesty and his unwillingness to travel far from home, he did not achieve the international recognition that he deserved. I have pulled together all of the recorded material of Eugene Holmes that I could find, and present excerpts from these varied sources. Guest vocalists appearing opposite Holmes include sopranos Claudia Lindsey, Gwyneth Jones, and Barbara Carter, and tenors János B. Nagy and Giorgio Aristo. In the production of this podcast, I was greatly aided by reminiscences provided by his colleagues Bonita Hyman, the German-based African American mezzo-soprano; Stephen Harrison, the retired musical director of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein; and Heribert Klein, member of the committee of UNICEF Deutschland, an organization to which Eugene Holmes was deeply committed.

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 183. Martina Arroyo (Black History Month 2023)

February 10, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, BHM2023WK2, Black History Month, Comic Relief, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Richard Strauss, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAida, Andromache’s Farewell, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Antonio Somma, Arnold Schoenberg, Burt Bacharach, Charles Mackerras, Colin Davis, David Belasco, Don Giovanni, Donal Nold, Dorothy Maynor, DuBose Heyward, Dusty Springfield, Ermanno Mauro, Ernani, Fausto Cleva, Francesco Maria Piave, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Franz Schubert, George Gershwin, Gerd Albrecht, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Günter Wand, Gurre-Lieder, Harry T. Burleigh, Hermann Hesse, Ira Gershwin, János Ferencsik, Jens Peter Jacobsen, Joaquín Nin, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johannes Brahms, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Kurt Eichhorn, L’Africaine, La forza del destino, Lamberto Gardelli, Leonard Hokanson, Lorenzo da Ponte, Luciano Pavarotti, Ludwig van Beethoven, Luigi Illica, Macbeth (Verdi), Madama Butterfly, Martina Arroyo, Max Rudolf, Nicola Rescigno, Porgy and Bess, Regine Crespin, Richard Strauss, Samuel Barber, Sixten Ehrling, Spirituals, Stuart Burrows, Thomas Schippers, Turandot, Un ballo in maschera, Victor Hugo, Vier letzte Lieder, Vittorio Gui, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Last week on Feburary 2, the beloved African American soprano Martina Arroyo turned 86 years old. Although the Countermelody birthday tribute to Ms. Arroyo is a week late, it is nonetheless profoundly heartfelt. I have always valued the artistry and voice of this artist who often referred to herself as “The Other One” (because she was so frequently confused with today’s birthday diva, Leontyne Price). In preparing this episode, however, I flipped over into fan girl mode: was there anything that Martina Arroyo could not do? Of course she was celebrated as one of the premiere Verdi sopranos of her day (or, indeed, of the twentieth century), and there are ample examples on the episode that give testament to her supremacy in that repertoire. But she was also an intrepid performer of contemporary music, creating important works by both Karlheinz Stockhausen and Samuel Barber. Her performances of baroque music, while very much following an earlier style of performance practice, are vivid and insightful. Her affinity with French grand opera style is off the charts, as evidenced by an excerpt from Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine. She also could have pursued a path as a Mozart and Strauss singer, and selections by both of these composers prove her mastery of this genre as well. She also had the power to be a full-fledged dramatic soprano, as shown by her live performances of Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder and the title role in Puccini’s Turandot. And yet her subtlety as a recitalist is shown in live and studio Lieder performances. And the fervor and vigor of her performance of spirituals is a thing of joy. This episode is full of surprises but one thing is not surprising at all: the degree of dedication and commitment of this artist, which continues to this day with the performance and education initiative of the Martina Arroyo Foundation. (The episode begins with a brief tribute to Burt Bacharach, who died yesterday at the age of 94.)

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 180. Anna Moffo Reappraised

January 20, 2023Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century MusicAdolf von Schack, Afro Poli, Alexandre Dumas, Alfred Grünwald, Anna Moffo, Anton Coppola, Anton Guadagno, Antonio Amurri, Arleen Augér, Berislav Klobučar, Billy Smith, Carlo Bergonzi, Carlo Felice Cillario, Charles Gounod, Don Giovanni, Emmerich Kálmán, Erich Leinsdorf, Falstaff, Fernando Previtali, Francesco Maria Piave, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Franco Ferrara, Franz Lehár, Friedrich Schiller, Fritz Löhner-Beda, Gaetano Donizetti, George Gershwin, Georges Bizet, Georges Pretre, Gerald Moore, Giacomo Puccini, Gian Francesco Malipiero, Gianni Ferrio, Gino Gorini, Giovanna d’Arco, Giuditta (Lehár), Giulio Fioravanti, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe di Stefano, Giuseppe Giacosa, Gräfin Mariza, Hans Carste, Hans Rosbaud, Heinrich Hart, Henri Meilhac, Henri René, I Puritani, Ira Gershwin, Jacopone da Todi, James King, Jane Berbié, John Orrick, Jules Barbier, Jules Massenet, Julius Brammer, Kurt Eichhorn, La rondine, La sonnambula, La Traviata, Lehman Engel, Leopold Stokowski, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lorin Maazel, Lucia di Lammermoor, Ludovic Halévy, Luigi Illica, Madama Butterfly, Manon, Mario Lanfranchi, Mario Rossi, Michel Carré, Miti Truccato Pace, Oliviero de Fabritiis, Oscar Straus, Paul Knepler, Peter Maag, Philippe Gille Abbé Prévost, Piero Piccioni, Piero Umiliani, Prosper Mérimée, Renato Simoni, René Leibowitz, Richard Fredericks, Richard Hundley, Richard Strauss, Roméo et Juliette, Rudolf Friml, Rudolf Schock, Salvadore Cammarano, Sergio Franchi, Sergio Lorenzi, Skitch Henderson, Temistocle Solera, The Chocolate Soldier, Tosca, Tullio Serafin, Turandot, Victor Herbert, Victorien Sardou, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Scott, Werner Schmidt-Boelcke, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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The Italian-American lyric coloratura soprano Anna Moffo (1932-2006) is, for many, one of the great singers of the past century. My first exposure to this artist was one of two, frankly, disastrous recordings released in the mid-1970s, in which the voice was a mere shadow of its former self, and in which her vocal defects and mannerisms had overtaken the intrinsic beauty of her voice. But there are so many exceptional qualities to Moffo as an artist, musician, and media star, that I felt compelled to do a frank reappraisal of her contribution to the lyric art. And am I glad that I did! I discovered an artist of great integrity who, in her best work, attained a similar level to any of the other great singers performing during that period. Unlike any other opera singer that I can think of, she conquered three distinct markets with equal success: first in Italy (where she rose to overnight stardom in the late 1950s and went on in the 1960s to become the star of her own eponymous television series); then in the United States throughout the 1960s; and finally, in the late 1960s and 70s, in Germany. But hers is also a cautionary tale of “too much, too soon” and the potentially destructive power of the media which has significance also in today’s opera world. Throughout the episode, live and studio examples of Moffo’s work, both bad and (mostly) good over the course of more than twenty years, are offered to support my discussion of her importance and influence as an artist, one that continues to this day. Vocal guest stars include tenors Carlo Bergonzi, Rudolf Schock, Giuseppe di Stefano, and Sergio Franchi, and musical collaborators include Tullio Serafin, Gerald Moore, Lorin Maazel, Hans Rosbaud, Fernando Previtali, Lehman Engel, Oliviero de Fabritiis, René Leibowitz, Kurt Eichhorn, Berislav Klobučar, and Franco Ferrara. For those who love Moffo, for those who hate her, and for those who find themselves somewhere in between, this episode is (dare I say it?) required listening.

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 169. Grace Bumbry

November 4, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Crossover, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Schubert, Singers of Color, VerismoAlexander Schmalcz, Amilcare Ponchielli, Andrea Maffei, Andrew White, Beaumont Glass, Berislav Klobučar, Detlev von Liliencron, Francesco Maria Piave, Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Rückert, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Verdi, Grace Bumbry, Gustave Charpentier, Hector Berlioz, Helmut Deutsch, Hermann Allmers, Jacques Revaux, Johann Gabriel Seidl, Johann Jacobi, Johann Mayrhofer, Johannes Brahms, John Fiore, Jules Massenet, Julius Mosen, Kenneth Collins, La Gioconda, Leonard Hokanson, Les nuits d’été, Macbeth, Michelangelo Veltri, Nabucco, Norman Bailey, Norman Newell, Oscar Wilde, Paul Anka, Renato Simoni, Richard Strauss, Robert Schumann, Roger Webb, Salome, Shirley Verrett, Spirituals, Stefan Soltesz, Temistocle Solera, Théophile Gautier, Turandot, Umberto Balsamo, Victor Hugo, William Shakespearecountermelody

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Though the great diva Grace Bumbry has often been featured on Countermelody, I have not yet done a full episode on this incomparable artist. Today’s episode seeks to remedy that, and to celebrate a singer whose contribution and influence extends back many decades and continues to this very day. Normally when I consider an artist so well-renowned, I try to offer a perspective that sheds different light on that singer. So today’s Bumbry celebration considers three aspects of her artistry that have received somewhat less attention. While her successes in a wide range of mezzo soprano repertoire are well-known and well-documented, her soprano assumptions have been somewhat more controversial. I highlight numerous scenes and arias, including from Macbeth, Salome, Turandot, and Nabucco, in both live and studio performances, that shed light on the enormous prowess and fearlessness with which she confronted these roles. Alongside such larger-than-life impersonations are Bumbry’s intimate and detailed performances as a Lieder singer, a tribute to her training under that matchless singer and teacher Lotte Lehmann, with whom Bumbry studied at the Music Academy of the West. Recordings of art song by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Strauss, Liszt, and Berlioz, made over the course of 45 years are also a testament to Bumbry’s vocal longevity and technical prowess. In recent years, Grace Bumbry has devoted her time to the care, nurturing, and training of young singers under the aegis of a program she has named “The Bumbry Way.” The episode closes with a definitive performance of the song “My Way,” which incorporates and encapsulates all the colors of this extraordinary singer in all her fearlessness, self-assurance, determination, vulnerability, and strength. Evviva “The Bumbry Way!”

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 165. Giuseppe Verdi: A Libran Birthday Tribute

October 7, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Canadian Singers, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Singers of ColorAchille de Lauzières, Aida, Alan Titus, Alberto Erede, Alexandre Dumas, Alfredo Simonetto, Alzira, Andrea Maffei, Antonino Tonini, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Antonio Sommo, Arrigo Boito, Attila, Bruno Reibold, Bryan Balkwill, Camilla Williams, Camille du Locle, Carlo Felice Cillario, Christoph von Dohnányi, Claramae Turner, Colin Davis, Delia Rigal, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Don Carlo, Edda Moser, Elizabeth Connell, Eugène Scribe, Falstaff, Francesco Maria Piave, Francisco Araiza, Francisco Casanova, František Jílek, Friedrich Schiller, Galina Vishnevskaya, Georg Singer, Giovanna d’Arco, Giulietta Simionato, Giuseppe Verdi, Guido Cantelli, Hana Janků, Igor Gorin, Ion Buzea, Irene Dalis, Irmgard Seefried, Jean Bobescu, John Alexander, Jon Vickers, Josef Dünnwald, Joseph Méry, Juan Emilio Martini, Julius Rudel, Karl Böhm, La forza del destino, La Traviata, Lamberto Gardelli, Laszlo Halasz, Luciano Pavarotti, Nabucco, New York City Opera, Nino Verchi, Otello, Requiem (Verdi), Rigoletto, Rolando Panerai, Sena Jurinac, Speranza Scappucci, Temistocle Solera, Tito Gobbi, Un ballo in maschera, Vasile Moldoveanu, Victor Hugo, Virginia Zeani, Voltaire, William Shakespearecountermelody

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The great Giuseppe Verdi was born this week in 1813. Since his birthday occurs in the same week as mine, and since I firmly believe that I was a Verdi soprano in a former life, I am paying tribute to him this week with a series of excerpts from his works performed by exceptional singers whose birthdays also occur in the month of October. It’s astounding how many great Verdi singers were born at the time of the harvest moon: Luciano Pavarotti, Tito Gobbi, Camilla Williams, Jon Vickers, Rolando Panerai, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sena Jurinac, and many, many more. I have assembled a setlist featuring more than 20 such singers, including more than a few surprises (the young Irmgard Seefried singing the soprano solo in the Requiem; and a few choice artists that you may have forgotten about, among them Irene Dalis, Delia Rigal, and John Alexander). This whole month will be a birthday extravaganza and this is a marvelous way to start off the celebration, if I do say so myself!

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.