Tag Archives: Hans Christian Andersen

Episode 415. Our Feathered Friends (Stage Edition)

November 29, 2025African American Singers, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Broadway, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Ileana Cotrubas, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Rescue Mission, Singers of Color, Sylvia Sass, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAcis and Galatea, Alex Rybeck, Alexander Pushkin, Aristophanes, Bruno Bartoletti, Charles Gounod, Darius Lyons, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Die Vögel, Edward Agate, Edward Bond, Emma Calvé, Endrik Wottrich, Enrique Granados, Ervin Lukács, ETA Hoffmann, Félicien David, Fernando Periquet, Flore Wend, Frédéric Mistral, Fritz Wunderlich, Gabriel de Lurieu, George Frideric Handel, Gioachino Rossini, Giovanni Boccaccio, Giovanni Gherardini, Granados, Hans Christian Andersen, Harolyn Blackwell, Hellen Kwon, Hippolyte et Aricie, Hugh Wheeler, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Igor Markevitch, Igor Stravinsky, Ileana Cotrubas, Jacqueline Delman, Jacques Offenbach, James King, Janine Micheau, Jean Giono, Jean-Baptiste, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Jill Gomez, John Gay, Joseph Gabriel, Joseph Stein, Jules Barbier, Kurt Eichhorn, La gazza ladra, La Perle du Brésil, Laurent Halet, Le Coq d’Or, Le Rossignol, Leïla ben Sedira, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Les noces de Jeannette, Liz Callaway, Loren Driscoll, Lothar Zagroszek, Louis-Charles Caigniez, Marcel Pagnol, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Maurice Frigara, Michel Carré, Mireille, Nadia Boulanger, Neville Marriner, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Ninon Vallin, Otto Nicolai, Pagliacci, Paul Gemignani, Racine, Reri Grist, Richard Strauss, Ritt Henn, Robert Heger, Ron Tierno, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Salomon Hermann Mosenthal, Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, Stepan Mitusov, Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd, Sylvain Saint-Étienne, Sylvia Sass, The Baker’s Wife, The Golden Cockerel, The Nightingale, Théodore Baudouin d’Aubigny, Tony Aubin, Victor Massé, Vilem Tausky, Walter Braunfels, William Shakespeare, Соловейcountermelody

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As I sat yesterday pondering all my friends, family, and compatriots celebrating Thanksgiving, my thoughts turned to the turkey, the traditional sacrificial creature for this event. And whatever the avian counterpart of a rabbit hole is, that’s where my thoughts turned as I realized that a tribute to our feathered friends in general would make a nice, lightweight, potpourri episode as we once again hurtle into the final preparations for the holiday season. As my list of possible repertoire exploded, I decided to limit myself only to stage works in which a bird is somehow involved: as a character, as a symbol, as a metaphor, perhaps even as all three simultaneously. So, with composers ranging from Rameau to Sondheim, including such forgotten figures as Walter Braunfels, Victor Massé, and Félicien David, I have put together a wonderful program that focuses particularly but not exclusively on the florid French repertoire, performed by such favorites as Reri Grist, James King, Ileana Cotrubas, Fritz Wunderlich, Sylvia Sass, and Mattiwilda Dobbs, bolstered by such relative newcomers to Countermelody as Léïla Ben Sédira, Ninon Vallin, Janine Micheau, Harolyn Blackwell, Emma Calvé, Endrik Wottrich, Liz Callaway, and Flore Wend. In addition, I am particularly thrilled to present a sublime singer whom I’d not yet encountered before yesterday: the British-Swedish songbird Jacqueline Delman, singing Granados!

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 399. Eileen Farrell (Jane’s Divas II)

October 3, 2025Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Eileen Farrell, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop Icons, SchubertAdrian Ross, Al Goodman, Alfred Bachelet, Arnold Gamson, Babes in Arms, Bernard Greenhouse, Bernard Hermann, Charles Jennens, Claude Debussy, Édouard Guinand, Edvard Grieg, Eileen Farrell, Eugène Adénis-Colombeau, Fiançailles pour rire, Francesco Berio di Salsa, Francis Poulenc, Frank Graham, Franz Lehár, Franz Schubert, Frederick Weatherly, Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, George Frideric Handel, George Malloy, George Trovillo, Giuseppe Verdi, Hans Christian Andersen, Harold Barlow, Irving Kahal, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Wallington, Johann Sebastian Bach, L’enfant prodigue, Leopold Stokowski, Lorenz Hart, Louise de Vilmorin, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Maurice Wilk, Messiah, Michael Praetorius, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otello (Rossini), Paul Ulanowsky, Percy Faith, Peter Matz, Richard Rodgers, Robert Bloom, Robert Sharples, Sammy Fain, The Merry Widow, Theodore Baker, Thomas Schippers, Ugo Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Walter Hatchek, William Shakespearecountermelody

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Today, the day that we lay my beloved mother, Jane Elizabeth Herbst Gundlach, to rest, I offer another tribute to her memory by way of another favorite singer of hers, Eileen Farrell. My mother grew up hearing her on the radio, and when I was young we would often see her featured on the variety shows that were the typical fare of mid-1960s television. But even more than that, she was the soprano soloist on a recording of Messiah that my father brought as a gift for her when he returned from a summer away at seminary. I have once again chosen a program that allows me to share stories of special events in my mother’s life, some charming, some painful, but all of them reflective of the great love that bound us together as mother and son.

Episode 318. Christmas (Art) Songs, Part Deux

December 22, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Canadian Singers, Forgotten Divas, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Holiday Music, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, Renata Scotto, Richard Strauss, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAlbert Rudhardt, Alice Tegnér, André Grassi, Arne Dorumsgaard, Augusta Holmès, Benjamin Britten, Bohuslav Martinů, Bruno Seidler-Winkler, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Christian Friedrich Schubart, Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, Clifton Helliwell, Das Marienleben, Déodat de Sévérac, Derek Lee Ragin, Donald Sulzen, Douglas Williams, Edith Mathis, Edvard Grieg, Elena Gragera, Elsie Houston, Engelbert Humperdinck, Ernst Hermann Meyer, François Le Roux, Frank Martin, Friedrich Hermann Frey, Genevieve Touraine, Geoffrey Parsons, Gerald Finley, Gerard Souzay, Graham Johnson, Gundula Janowitz, Hans Christian Andersen, Hedwig Humperdinck, Heinrich Heine, Helmut Deutsch, Hermann Prey, Hermann Zilcher, Hinrich Alpers, Holger Drachmann, Hugo Wolf, Irène Aïtoff, Irwin Gage, Jacqueline Bonneau, Jaime Rodríguez Roa, Janet Baker, Jean Sibelius, Jeanna Oterdahl, Jitka Čechová, Jo Dusseldorp, Joaquín Nin, Johannes Brahms, Johannes Robert Becher, John Corigliano, John Gielgud, Jörg Demus, Jorma Hynninen, Josep Colomé, Josep Maria Ferrando, Josep Soler, Karina Gauvin, Karl Engel, Karl Erb, Laura Aikin, Lorenzo Anselmi, Malcolm Martineau, Margaret Rose, Marianne Hirsti, Marika Kobayashi, Martin Greif, Martin Isepp, Martin Luther, Maureen Forrester, Max Reger, Michael Head, Michael McMahon, Michael Raucheisen, Ned Rorem, Nicolai Gedda, Nora Shulman, Norman Shetler, Olaf Bär, Olga Černá, Paul Barthélemy Jeulin, Paul Gravollet, Paul Heyse, Paul Hindemith, Peter Erasmus Lange-Müller, Peter Schreier, Peter Warlock, Philip Heseltine, Philip Langridge, Rainer Maria Rilke, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Renata Scotto, Richard Adeney, Richard Strauss, Richard Verreau, Robert Schumann, Roger VIgnoles, Ruben Liljefors, Rudi Stephan, Rudolf Jansen, Russell Oberlin, Sarah Walker, Simon Keenlyside, Sophie Wyss, Sten Byriel, Steuart Bedford, Tauno Äikää, Tehila Nini Goldstein, Tom Brand, Tom Krause, Ulrich Stærk, Viktor Rydberg, Walter Olbertz, William M. Hoffman, Yvette Guilbert, Zacharias Topeliuscountermelody

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A final offering of Christmas music on Countermelody this year, but far be it from me to rehash the usual Christmas carols! Absolutely not! In this episode I offer a follow-up to an episode posted years ago featuring Christmas-themed art song. Expect the unexpected (including a big helping of 20th Century selections by Britten, Hindemith, Martinů, Rorem, and Corigliano), alongside selections from our favorite Romantic and post-Romantic composers (Brahms, Schumann, Reger, Grieg, and Strauss). Singers include Gundula Janowitz, Hermann Prey, Maureen Forrester, Edith Mathis, Karl Erb, Janet Baker, Peter Schreier, Tom Krause, and Nicolai Gedda, among many, many others. Happy Holidays to all my fans and supporters!

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 209. Nordic Tracks I: Orchestral Songs

August 8, 2023Art Song, Finnish Opera, Great Baritones, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAage Berntsen, Aksel Schiotz, Allan Pettersson, Andrew Davis, Anne Sofie von Otter, Anssi Karttunen, Antal Dorati, Arca [Alejandra Ghersi], Artharva Veda, Arthur Hjalmar-Borgstrom, Assmund Olavsson Vinje, Aulikki Rautawaara, Aulis Lassinen, Bertil Bokstedt, Birgit Nilsson, Björk, Björk Guðmundsdóttir, Bo Bergman, Carl Nielsen, Christoph Eschenbach, Dawn Upshaw, Dorothy Dorow, Edgar Lee Masters, Elisabeth Soderstrom, Eric Sædén, Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Ernest Thiel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Fartein Valen, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Håkan Hagegård, Hans Bethge, Hans Christian Andersen, Hugo Alfvén, Hugo Hasslo, Jean Sibelius, Jean Siblius, Jenny Blicher-Clausen, Jorma Hynninen, Jussi Jalas, Kaija Saariaho, Karin Boye, Karita Mattila, Kent Nagano, Kirsten Flagstad, Kirsten Schultz, Kjell Ingebretsen, Laci Boldemann, Lassi Nummi, Leif Segerstam, María Sabina, Militiades Caridis, Okko Kamu, Poul Schierbeck, Rued Langgaard, Soile Isokoski, Stig Westerberg, Svend Christian Felumb, Thomas Jensen, Ture Rangström, Viktor Orri Árnason, Viktor Rydberg, Walter Süsskind, Wilhelm Stenhammarcountermelody

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Inspired by my holiday in Denmark last week, today I inaugurate a new series on Countermelody called “Nordic Tracks,” featured music from Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. There has always been a wealth of vocal music from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland, and in this episode I focus exclusively on orchestral songs, a genre which I also featured in a special episode last fall. Of course there are the usual standbys by Grieg and Sibelius and Nielsen, but also featured is the work of less-celebrated composers, beginning with the romantics and post-romantics (Wilhelm Stenhammar, Ture Rangström) and through to the present day (Aulis Sallinen, the late Kaija Saariaho). The singers are some of the greatest ever to raise their voices in song, including Kirsten Flagstad, Soile Isokoski, Birgit Nilsson, Hugo Hasslo, Elisabeth Söderström, Eric Sædén, Karita Mattila, Anne Sofie von Otter, and many others. It’s highly likely that you will encounter singers (Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Kirsten Schultz) and composers (Fartein Valen, Laci Boldemann, Poul Schierbeck) that you may have never heard before (I know I did!) Oh, yes, and it’s all topped off with a bit of Björk!

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.