Tag Archives: Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt

Episode 176. Helen Donath

December 24, 2022French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Great Baritones, Holiday Music, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century MusicAnna Moffo, Arabella (Strauss), August Stramm, Bernhard Klee, Carl Maria von Weber, Carl Millöcker, Carmen, Das Christelflein, Das Land des Lächelns, Der Freischütz, Die Dubarry Emmerich Smola, Die Gärtnerin aus Liebe, Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die Zauberflöte, Edda Moser, Engelbert Humperdinck, Fidelio, Franz Lehár, Friedrich von Flotow, Gabriel Chmura, Gabriele Schnaut, George Frideric Handel, Georges Bizet, Gerd Albrecht, Giacomo Puccini, Günther Leib, Hans Pfitzner, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Heinz Geese, Heinz Wallberg, Helen Donath, Herbert Blomstedt, Herbert von Karajan, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ivan Törzs, Jacques Offenbach, Johann Sebastian Bach, Julia Varady, Klaus Donath, Kurt Eichhorn, La Boheme, La finta giardiniera, Leonard Bernstein, Leonore (Beethoven), Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Ludwig von Beethoven, Messiah (Handel), Otmar Suitner, Otto Nicolai, Paul Hindemith, Peter Schreier, Rafael Kubelik, Reinhard Peters, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Sancta Susanna (Hindemith), Siegfried Jerusalem, Tannhäuser, Theo Adam, Weihnachtsoratorium, Werner Hollweg, Willi Boskovsky, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Gönnenwein, Wolfgang Sawallischcountermelody

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Today’s episode is a celebration of the Texas-born, German-assimilated soprano Helen Donath. Very few singers can boast of a career lasting more than 50 years which yielded such consistently superb vocalism and artistry. Donath began as a soubrette with lyric-coloratura capabilities which blossomed into a jugendlich dramatisch voice capable of successfully assuming roles in Wagner, Strauss, and Weber. Today’s episode has two “gimmicks,” the first of which is that all of the selections are sung in German, even if they were originally set in French or Italian. The second gimmick is that strewn in amongst the other selections, there is a smattering of holiday-related material including works by Bach, Handel, Mozart, Humperdinck, and Pfitzner. Other composers heard include Otto Nicolai, Friedrich von Flotow, Paul Hindemith, as well as numerous examples of Donath’s peerless Mozart singing and a generous helping of operettas by Lehár, Millöcker, and Johann Strauss II. Vocal guest stars are legion, and include Julia Varady, Siegfried Jerusalem, Anna Moffo, Peter Schreier, Edda Moser, Theo Adam, Werner Hollweg, and Günther Leib in performances conducted by Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Kurt Eichhorn, Rafael Kubelik, Herbert Blomstedt, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Bernhard Klee, Otmar Suitner, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Gerd Albrecht, and Willi Boskovsky, as well as Klaus Donath, Helen’s husband since 1965.

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 114. James King

November 7, 2021Art Song, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, In Memoriam, Lieder, Needle Drop, Operetta, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, SchubertBernard Haitink, Das Land des Lächelns (Lehár), Das Lied von der Erde, Der singende Traum, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Dietfried Bernet, Ernst Marischka, Felix Hubel, Fidelio, Franz Lehár, Franz Schubert, Fritz Löhner-Beda, Giacomo Puccini, Giuditta (Lehár), Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Hans Karste, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Henry Geehl, Hérodiade, Hugo von Hoffmannsthal, James King, Kurt Eichhorn, Ludwig Herzer, Ludwig van Beethoven, Martial Singher, Max Lorenz, Otello, Paul Breisach, Paul Knepler, Richard Dehmel, Richard Strauss, Richard Tauber, Richard Wagner, Tannhäuser, Turandot, William Hughes, William Shakespearecountermelody

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This week I turn my attention once again to the tenors, who have been getting rather short shrift of late. This week I feature the US-American jugendlicher heldentenor James King, who died 16 years ago this month. Trained as a baritone, he “converted” to tenor in his early thirties under the tutelage of the great French baritone and teacher Martial Singher. In the very early 1960s, he ended up in the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he quickly established himself as a talent to be reckoned with. He sang countless performances of a relatively small number of roles, beginning with Florestan in Fidelio and including Wagner (Lohengrin, Walther in Meistersinger, Parsifal, Siegmund), Strauss (the Kaiser in Frau ohne Schatten, Bacchus, Apollo, Aegisth, and Herodes), Verdi (Otello, Don Carlo, Radames) Puccini (Cavaradossi, Calaf, Rodolfo), and a select number of French roles (Don José, Samson). I am letting Mr. King do the heavy lifting today: I have four LPs in my collection that have never been reissued since their original release in the 1960s: two operatic recital recordings, an operetta album, and a volume of songs by Schubert and Strauss. I feature generous excerpts from each of these, as well as an excerpt from his recording with the late Bernard Haitink of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde. It is my joy to bring this exceptional singer to your attention: a superb technician who combines powerful utterance with interpretive sensitivity and musical nuance.

Episode 111. Verdi auf Deutsch I

October 17, 2021African American Singers, Behind the Iron Curtain, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Singers of ColorAida, Annelies Kupper, Anneliese Rothenberger, Anton de Ridder, Betty Allen, Bruno Bartoletti, Bruno Seidler-Winkler, Carl Besi, Clemens Krauss, Don Carlo, Elisabeth Grümmer, Erich Orthmann, Ferdinand Leitner, Friedel Beckmann, Frieder Weissmann, Friedrich Schiller, Fritz Wunderlich, Georg Hann, Georgina von Milinkovic, Giuseppe Patanè, Giuseppe Verdi, Gloria Davy, Gottlob Frick, Grace Bumbry, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Helge Rosvaenge, Hilde Güden, Hildegard Hillebrecht, Horst Stein, Il Trovatore, Inge Borkh, James King, János Kulka, Jess Thomas, Josef Gostic, Josef Greindl, Karl Elmendorff, La forza del destino, La Traviata, Lawrence Winters, Leonora Lafayette, Luisa Miller, Margarete Teschemacher, Maria Cebotari, Maria Stader, Meta Seinemeyer, Nicolai Gedda, Otello, Otto Gerdes, Pilar Lorengar, Raymond Wolansky, Richard Kraus, Richard Tauber, Robert Burg, Rudolf Schock, Sabine Kalter, Sándor Kónya, Teresa Stratas, Un ballo in maschera, Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Wolfgang Windgassencountermelody

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Today’s is a mammoth episode on a mammoth topic: historical performances of Verdi’s operas in German translation. I trace the historical and ongoing popularity of Verdi’s works in Germany, and include discussions of the works of Friedrich Schiller as Verdian subject matter; the co-opting of Verdi’s genius by the Third Reich; and the numerous African American Verdi singers, including Gloria Davy, Lawrence Winters, Lenora Lafayette, Betty Allen, and Grace Bumbry, who based their careers (or significant portions thereof) in German-speaking European countries. I include duets and trios from eight different Verdi operas; recordings featured were made between the years 1923 and 1973 and feature such native German-speaking singers as Richard Tauber, Margarete Teschemacher, Maria Cebotari, Josef Greindl, Meta Seinemeyer, Inge Borkh, Fritz Wunderlich, Annelies Kupper, Elisabeth Grümmer, Wolfgang Windgassen, Gottlob Frick, and Hilde Güden, among many others. Non-German singers such as Teresa Stratas, Sándor Kónya, Pilar Lorengar, Jess Thomas, Raymond Wolansky, and James King are also highlighted. This episode is an exploration of the greatest operatic composer of all time, but in unexpected garb.

Episode 23. Lawrence Winters and Robert McFerrin (Black History Month IV)

February 23, 2020African American Singers, BHM2023WK3, Black History Month, Broadway, Crossover, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Needle Drop, Operetta, Protest Songs, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAdele Addison, Bess You Is My Woman Now, Bonanza Theme Song, Call Me Mister, Camilla Williams, Fausto Cleva, Grace de la Cruz, Hall Johnson, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Harold Rome, I Loves You Porgy, Kurt Weill, Langston Hughes, Laszlo Halasz, Laurel Hurley, Lawrence Winters, Lehman Engel, Lost in the Stars, Maria Stader, Marie Powers, Porgy and Bess, Rigoletto, RobertMcFerrin, Spirituals, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, The Red Ball Express, Todd Duncan, Troubled Island, William Grant Still; George Gershwin; Ira Gershwin; DuBose Heywardcountermelody

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Episode 23 – Winters and McFerrin: A Tale of Two Baritones (Black History Month IV)

Today’s episode, the fourth in a sequence honoring African American singers, this one pays tribute to two great baritones, Lawrence Winters (1915-1965) and Robert McFerrin (1921-2006). Winters was a trailblazer on records and on stage at the New York City Opera and in major German opera houses; while McFerrin, the first African American male to sing a major role at the Metropolitan Opera, made his debut in 1955 as Amonasro in Aida three weeks after Marian Anderson made history on the same stage as the first black solo singer to perform there. This episode examines the early life and rise to prominence of each singer; the role that Porgy played in the careers of both singers; and each one’s credentials as a Verdi baritone par excellence. Highlights include an excerpt from William Grant Still’s opera Troubled Island, which premiered at NYCO in 1949, and a memorable cache of spirituals recordings from both singers. Guest aritsts heard on this episode include Todd Duncan, Camilla Williams, Marie Powers, Maria Stader, Adele Addison, Laurel Hurley, and Grace de la Cruz.

Countermelody is a new podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. 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 interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please also visit the Countermelody website for updates, additional content, and to pledge your support. www.countermelodypodcast.com