Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:46:39 — 146.5MB) | Embed
Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More
Today’s episode goes back three and a half years to two artists whom I had recently featured on back-to-back Countermelody episodes: Anna Moffo and Nicolai Gedda. In the case of each of these singers, I entered the ring with a not-altogether-positive impression: in the case of Gedda, it was because of an apparent desire by either him or his record company to sing nearly everything, with sometimes uneven results. In the case of Moffo, it was the more serious issue of the vocal difficulties she encountered in the 1970s, the period when I first came to know her singing, when her singing too often became a sad caricature of her earlier work. My individual episodes on Moffo and Gedda allowed me to reassess both singers and arrive at a more positive evaluation of their contribution. Today’s episode features both artists side by side. Both Moffo and Gedda had their own very distinctive style of singing that might at first seem incompatible. And in his autobiography, Gedda cast shade on some of his unnamed Met colleagues, especially (by implication) Moffo. In spite of all of this, they sang in a number of legendary performances together, including in particular broadcasts of Manon and Pelléas et Mélisande. I play excerpts from each of these, plus a televised appearance of the two singing in La Traviata. In addition, in order to better highlight the differences in their musical and vocal approaches, I include parallel performances by both singing the same song: Schumann’s “Ich grolle nicht;” Schubert’s “Du bist die Ruh’,” and, inevitably, the Rachmaninov “Vocalise.” The episode begins with a tribute to Felicity Lott, the beloved British soprano who died over the weekend of cancer, aged 79.
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.
