Tag Archives: Gérard Wyss

Episode 445. Simply Radiant: Edith Mathis In Memoriam

March 14, 2026Art Song, Comic Relief, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlexander Zemlinsky, Ariettes oubliées, Armin Rüeger, Barthold Heinrich Brockes, Carl Loewe, Carl Maria von Weber, Claude Debussy, Cord Garben, Der Freischütz, Edith Mathis, Eugen Müller-Dombois, Frank Martin, Friedrich Kind, Friedrich Laun, George Frideric Handel, Gérard Wyss, Gerd Albrecht, Gerhard Naumann, Giambattista Varesco, Gottfried Keller, Hans Franzen, Hans Münch, Heinrich Heine, Helen Donath, Helmut Hucke, Hermann Suter, Hermann Winkler, Honoré de Balzac, Hugo Wolf, Ich bin in mir vergnügt, Il re pastore, Italienisches Liederbuch, Jacob Will, Jean Fournet, Johann August Apel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johannes Brahms, Karl Engel, Kleider machen Leute, Le Laudi di San Francesco d’Assisi, Leo Feld, Leopold Hager, Leopold Ludwig, Maria Tryptichon, Mass in c minor, Massimilla Doni, Myrthen (Schumann), Neun deutsche Arien, Norman Shetler, Othmar Schoeck, Paul Heyse, Paul Verline, Peter Keller, Peter Schneider, Peter Schreier, Pierre Boulez, Pietro Metastasio, Ralf Weikert, Robert Schumann, Rudolf A. Hartmann, Stefania Kaluza, Szenen aus Goethes Faust, Walter Thoene, Wicus Slabbert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Gönnenwein, Wolfgang Schneiderhancountermelody

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Today a belated memorial tribute to the beloved Swiss soprano Edith Mathis, who died in Salzburg thirteen months ago, two days before her 87th birthday. One of the most highly regarded lyric sopranos of the 1960s and 1970s, Mathis began her career in the late fifties, retiring more than 40 years later in 2001. In between she, armed with a radiant, technically secure voice allied with an understated yet powerful musicianship, set the standard for performance of Baroque music, Mozart, and Lieder, in particular. She was the quintessential German soubrette, and as such the best of her generation in roles such as Ännchen in Der Freischütz and Marzelline in Fidelio. Because of her lack of pretention and mannerism, she might sometimes be somewhat undervalued, but her artistic achievement, especially considered as a whole, is equal to any comparable singer of the last century. I have scoured my extensive Mathis collection, as well as the corners of the internet, to bring you as full a musical portrait of Edith Mathis as possible, covering nearly the entirety of her career, and including works by several of her Swiss compatriot composers.

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 252. Zsolt Bognár Introduces A Baritonal Schubertiade (Listeners’ Favorites)

March 20, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Canadian Singers, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Schubert, Singers of Color, Voiceless WondersAksel Schiotz, Alexander Kipnis, Aloys Wilhelm Schreiber, Barry McDaniel, Bernard Kruysen, Dalton Baldwin, David Lutz, Ernest Lush, Frank Bibb, Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, Franz von Schober, Friedrich Rückert, Friedrich Schiller, Gerald Moore, Gerard Souzay, Gerard van Blerk, Gérard Wyss, Hans Hotter, Heinrich Schlusnus, Hermann Prey, Irwin Gage, Johann Gabriel Seidl, Johann Georg Jacobi, Johann Mayrhofer, Jorma Hynninen, Josef Greindl, Karl Schmitt-Walter, Lawrence Winters, Leo Schützendorf, Max Saal, Michael Raucheisen, Oliver Pohl, Paul Ulanowsky, Pavel Lisitsian, Robert Holl, Rolf Gothóni, Roman Trekel, Sebastian Peschko, Tom Krause, Walter Martin, Wilhelm Müller, Zsolt Bognárcountermelody

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I was thrilled to discover a while back that the pianist, interviewer, and journalist Zsolt Bognár, who produces the video series Living the Classical Life, is a devoted fan of Countermelody. We recently met up in person in NYC, where we discussed, among many other things, the supremacy of Franz Schubert and how his humanity finds perfect expression in his compositions. Zsolt has graciously provided the introduction to this episode, one of my favorites in the history of the podcast, which I originally produced for the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. As I remarked then, I repeat now: when I am at a loss for words, I always turn to Schubert and his music. In keeping with this month’s theme of great baritones, I once again offer this episode, which I have entitled “A Baritonal Schubertiade.” Listeners will discover some singers that we’ve already heard this month, primarily Bernard Kruysen and Jorma Hynninen, and two more singers (Gérard Souzay and Alexander Kipnis) who will be featured in full episodes next week. Kipnis’s recording stems from 1927, while German baritone Roman Trekel’s selection was recorded in 2017. Thus we have 90 years of great Lieder singing to enjoy in this episode: in addition to the singers already mentioned, Tom Krause (pictured with Carl Kundmann’s statue of Schubert in the Stadtpark in Vienna), Hans Hotter, Lawrence Winters, Hermann Prey, Barry McDaniel, Heinrich Schlusnus, Pavel Lisitsian, Bernard Diamant, and Karl Schmitt-Walter are also featured. And the episode begins with Zsolt’s recording of Liszt’s stirring transcription of Schubert’s “Aufenthalt.”

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 106. A Baritonal Schubertiade

September 12, 2021African American Singers, Art Song, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Voiceless WondersAksel Schiotz, Alexander Kipnis, Aloys Wilhelm Schreiber, Barry McDaniel, Bernard Kruysen, Dalton Baldwin, Ernest Lush, Frank Bibb, Franz Schubert, Franz von Schober, Friedrich Rückert, Friedrich Schiller, Gerald Moore, Gerard Souzay, Gerard van Blerk, Gérard Wyss, Hans Hotter, Heinrich Schlusnus, Hermann Prey, Irwin Gage, Johann Gabriel Seidl, Johann Georg Jacobi, Johann Mayrhofer, Jorma Hynninen, Josef Greindl, Karl Schmitt-Walter, Lawrence Winters, Leo Schützendorf, Max Saal, Michael Raucheisen, Oliver Pohl, Paul Ulanowsky, Pavel Lisitsian, Rolf Gothóni, Roman Trekel, Sebastian Peschko, Tom Krause, Walter Martin, Wilhelm Müller, Wolfgang Holzmaircountermelody

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On the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, I am at a loss for meaningful words. Thus I have turned, as I have often done in my own life, and as I did once before at the beginning of the pandemic, to the music of Franz Schubert. I offer to you, my dear listeners, words and music of such profound sorrow, such crushing pain, and such undying hope as only Schubert can provide. As I have throughout this summer, I once again draw on that unquenchable source of great baritones to lend their eloquent voices to my efforts: here I present recordings and performances over 90 years, bookended by recordings by Alexander Kipnis in 1927 and by Roman Trekel in 2017 of the glorious Lieder of Franz Schubert. Other singers include Gérard Souzay, Hans Hotter, Tom Krause, Lawrence Winters, Hermann Prey, Barry McDaniel, Heinrich Schlusnus, Pavel Lisitsian, and Karl Schmitt-Walter, among others, each of whom offers a glimpse of Schubert’s unique genius, as well as comfort and solace during this time of solemn remembrance and commemoration.

P.S. Don’t forget about my first all-Schubert episode, which I posted at the beginning of the pandemic. www.countermelodypodcast.com/index.php/2020/04/05/episode-29-a-social-isolation-schubertiade. I listened to it this morning and it really holds up!

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” Occasional guests from the “business” (singers, conductors, composers, coaches, and teachers) lend their distinctive insights. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. And please head to my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available only to Patreon supporters are currently available.