Tag Archives: Heinz Wallberg

Episode 285. Edda Moser Reappraised

August 31, 2024Art Song, Comic Relief, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Great BaritonesAdelheid Wette, Bruno Weil, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Claudio Nicolai, Clemens von Brentano, Der fliegende Holländer, Die lustige Witwe, Die Zauberflöte, Edda Moser, Elektra, Emanuel Schikaneder, Engelbert Humperdinck, Ernst von Steigentesch, Eugen d’Albert, Euripedes, Franz Lehár, George Frideric Handel, Gerd Feldhoff, Hans Werner Henze, Hänsel und Gretel, Hedwig Lachmann, Heinrich Heine, Heinrich Hollreiser, Heinz Wallberg, Herbert Blomstedt, Hermann Hesse, Hermann Prey, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ingeborg Bachmann, Iphigénie en Tauride, Irwin Gage, Ivan Törzs, János Kulka, Jean Dupouy, Jean-Claude Malgoir, Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, Joseph Sonnleithner, Kent Nagano, Leo Stein, Leonore (Beethoven), Lovro von Matačić, Ludwig van Beethoven, Milan Horvat, Nicola Francesco Haym, Nicolas-François Guillard, Oscar Wilde, Pagliacci, Peter Maag, Peter Schneider, Riccardo Muti, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Robert Hale, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Salome, Siegmund Nimsgern, Sophocles, Tannhäuser, Vier letzte Lieder, Viktor Léon, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Lately I have been doing a series of episodes on artists that in my opinion deserve a reassessment, a second glance, if you will. Edda Moser is almost universally regarded as the “best” Queen of the Night that ever walked the earth. Certainly she is the most ominous and menacing, as well as the most monumental of voice and delivery. But there is a false narrative surrounding Frau Moser that over the course of her career, she lost control of her voice and pursued a repertoire that destroyed her voice. In this episode, I plead exactly the opposite: that Moser moved naturally and with dedicated assurance into the heavier roles of Strauss and Wagner, and that her voice from its origins displayed affinity for these more dramatic parts. Some of Edda Moser’s earliest successes were in the stratospheric vocal compositions of Hans Werner Henze, in which she displayed a fearless and limitless virtuosity. During her long career, her roles spanned nearly the entire range of the soprano repertoire, everything from her supreme Mozart characterizations to Hanna Glawari to Nedda to Iphigénie to Senta to Salome. Recently, some late-career live recordings of Edda Moser have appeared on the landscape, and instead of recycling one of my two previous Moser episodes, I have selected choice tidbits from these recordings, as well as more readily available material, that show Moser in all facets of her artistry, focusing on the epic, perhaps, but not overlooking her delicacy, sensitivity, pathos, charm, and delicious sense of humor. Guest singers heard on the episode include some of the finest baritones active during this period, including Siegmund Nimsgern, Hermann Prey, Gerd Feldhoff, Claudio Nicolai, and Robert Hale. Conductors include Heinrich Hollreiser, Riccardo Muti, Herbert Blomstedt, Lovro von Matačić, Christoph von Dohnányi, Kent Nagano, and many others. Give this episode a listen and may find yourself agreeing with me that she is one of the supreme classical vocalists of the twentieth century.

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 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 239. Gwendolyn Killebrew (BHM 2024)

February 8, 2024African American Singers, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Canadian Singers, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Gustav Mahler, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Orchestral Songs, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAgostino Manni, Agostino Piovene, Andrea Chénier, Antal Dorati, Anton de Ridder, Antonín Dvořák, Antonio Somma, Barbara Scherler, Béatrice et Bénédict, Berislav Klobučar, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, Bohumil Gregor, Božena Němcová, Carlo Bergonzi, Claudio Nicolai, Die Soldaten (Zimmermann), Die Walküre, Edgar (Puccini), Edith Kertész-Gabry, Emilio de’ Cavalieri, Eugène Scribe, Eve Queler, Ferdinando Fontana, Francis Poulenc, Friedrich Lenz, Friedrich Nietzsche, Gail Gilmore, Gary Bertini, George Darden, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Harald Stamm, Hector Berlioz, Heinrich von Kleist, Heinz Wallberg, Hermann Prey, Hiroshi Wagusaki, Ira Gershwin, James Levine, Jaromír Weinberger, Jaroslav Kvapil, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Moriarty, Joseph Haydn, Karel Jaromír Erben, La fraîcheur et le feu, Leonard Bernstein, Lodovico Ariosto, Luigi Illica, Magnificat (Bach), Maureen Forrester, Maurice Ravel, Max Brod, Miloš Kareš, Nicola Haym, Nicolas Pradon, Nunziano Porta, Oh Kay!, Orlando Paladino (Haydn), Othmar Schoeck, Otto-Werner Mueller, Paul Éluard, Penthesilea (Schoeck), Peter Erckens, Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo, Richard Wagner, Rusalka (Dvořák), Seiji Ozawa, Shéhérazade, Sherrill Milnes, Stuart Burrows, Tamerlano (Handel), Teresa Stratas, Thomas Muraco, Tristan Klingsor, Umberto Giordano, Un ballo in maschera, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, William Shakespearecountermelody

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This week’s “Forgotten Diva” is the mezzo-soprano / contralto Gwendolyn Killebrew (26 August 1941 – 24 December 2021), who made an indelible contribution to opera in particular during the active years of her career (1965 – 2009). Though the majority of her career was centered at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, she sang the world over with some of the most important opera companies (including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Salzburg Festival, Bayreuth, Washington Opera, Santa Fe Opera, La Monnaie, and the Bayerische Staatsoper), conductors (Pierre Boulez, Gary Bertini, Michael Gielen, Herbert von Karajan, Zubin Mehta, Georg Solti), and stage directors (Patrice Chéreau, Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, August Everding, Giancarlo del Monaco, Christof Loy, and John Dew). She had an enormous repertoire from Monteverdi and Handel to Henze and Fortner, excelling in particular in various Wagner roles. She was also a superb actor, who, through the use minimal gestures and stage business, made an enormous impact. This episode presents her in a wide range of material, including both live and commercial recordings ranging from Cavalieri to Zimmermann, alongside such fellow singers as Teresa Stratas, Carlo Bergonzi, Hermann Prey, Stuart Burrows, Sherrill Milnes, and Gail Gilmore led by conductors Leonard Bernstein, Gary Bertini, Bohumil Gregor, Berislav Klobučar, James Levine, Heinz Wallberg, and Eve Queler. Of special interest is a rare live recording of her prize-winning performance of “Asie” from Ravel’s Shéhérazade at the 1967 International Voice Competition in Montréal. The episode opens with brief memorial tributes to soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez and pianist Thomas Muraco.

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.

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.

Episode 113. Edda Moser

October 31, 2021Art Song, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Schubert, Twentieth Century MusicAlfredo Kraus, Anton Paulik, Arleen Augér, August Wenzinger, Boris Blacher, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Clara Schumann, Clemens Brentano, Der fliegende Holländer, Die Fledermaus, Die Zauberflöte, Don Carlo, Edda Moser, Erik Werba, Eugene Kohn, Fidelio, Franco Bonisolli, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Rückert, Georg Singer, George Frideric Handel, Giuseppe Patanè, Giuseppe Verdi, Hans Werner Henze, Heinrich Isaac, Heinz Wallberg, Ingeborg Bachmann, Iphigénie en Tauride, Ivan Törzs, Jacques Offenbach, James Levine, Jocelyne Taillon, Johann Abraham Peter Schulz, Johann Strauss II, Johannes Brahms, José Van Dam, Josef Hopferweiser, Julius Rudel, Kostas Paskalis, La Clemenza di Tito, La Traviata, Leonard Hokanson, Leopold Hager, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mitridate Re di Ponto, Oscar Wilde, Paul Sacher, Riccardo Muti, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Rigoletto, Salome, Theo Adam, Werner Krenn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallischcountermelody

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On 27 October the great German dramatic coloratura Edda Moser celebrated her 83rd birthday. Celebrated as the greatest Queen of the Night ever, Edda Moser’s operatic career was centered on the music of Mozart but also included so much more. I present, it is true, two rare live examples of her singing the music of Mozart, but I also include her performances of music by Henze, Lehár, Verdi, Handel, Gluck, Johann and Richard Strauss, Offenbach, and Boris Blacher, as well as precious examples of her singing of Lieder, including songs by Brahms, Schubert, and Clara Schumann. I conclude with her reading of a beloved poem in tribute to her ongoing commitment to German language and culture. Vocal guest stars this week include Kostas Paskalis, Alfredo Kraus, José van Dam, Arleen Augér, and Theo Adam. Geliebte Frau Moser, wir erfreuen uns an Ihrer Kunstfertigkeit als begnadete Sängerin und Ihrem Vorbild als kulturelle Fahnenträgerin.

Episode 112. Barry McDaniel

October 24, 2021Art Song, Bel canto, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Queer Pride, Schubert, Twentieth Century MusicAgnes Giebel, Alfredo Kraus, Ariadne auf Naxos, Aribert Reimann, Arlene Saunders, Arthur Rother, Barry McDaniel, Brooks Smith, Carl Millöcker, Carl Orff, Carmina Burana, Christoph von Dohnányi, Claude Debussy, David Knutson, Der junge Lord, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Die schweigsame Frau, Eberhard Finke, Edita Gruberová, Enrique Beck, Ernest Lush, Ernst Haefliger, Ernst Krukowski, Évariste de Parny, Federico García Lorca, Ferdinand Leitner, Fidelio, Franz Schubert, Frederik Prausnitz, Friedrich Hebbel, Fritz Hoppe, Fritz Werner, Gerhard Unger, Gioacchino Rossini, Hans Werner Henze, Heinz Wallberg, Helmut Krebs, Hermann Reutter, Horst Stein, Hugo Wolf, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Ingeborg Bachmann, Italienisches Liederbuch, Ivan Sardi, Johann Gabriel Seidl, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Jacob Niles, Joseph von Eichendorff, Karl Böhm, Karl Hochreither, Karlheinz Zoeller, Kurt Böhme, Kurt Equiluz, La finta giardiniera, Lear (Reimann), Leopold Hager, Ludwig van Beethoven, Luigi Dallapiccola, Mack Harrell, Manfred Jungwirth, Manfred Röhrl, Matthäus-Passion, Maurice Ravel, Murilo Mendes, Pierre Pierlot, Richard Strauss, Robert Schumann, Robert Spillman, Stefan Zweig, Tristan L’Hermite, Wilhelm Müller, Winterreise, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallischcountermelody

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This past week would have been the 91st birthday of Barry McDaniel (1930-2018), the great US-American Berlin-based lyric baritone whose artistry encompassed opera, oratorio (particularly the music of Bach), art song (particularly Lieder), and contemporary music, as well as delicious forays into operetta. This episode celebrates all aspects of this exceptionally fine singer, whose immediately recognizable voice, allied to a firm technique, superb diction, superior musicianship, and devotion to his craft yielded finely-hewn, distinctively inflected performances in a career which spanned nearly fifty years. The episode features him singing music of Strauss, Bach, Rossini, Schubert, Reimann, Ravel, Henze, Rossini, Mozart, Debussy, Millöcker and more. Vocal guest stars include Alfredo Kraus, Agnes Giebel, Kurt Böhme, Arlene Saunders, Mack Harrell (who was McDaniel’s teacher), and Edita Gruberová, to whom we pay especial tribute after her tragic death early last week.

Episode 61. Margaret Price I: The Voice of Consolation (Music for a World in Crisis V)

November 15, 2020Art Song, Giuseppe Verdi, Lieder, Margaret Price, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, SchubertAdrian Boult, Alain Lombard, Alban Berg, Andre Previn, Carl Maria von Weber, Claudio Abbado, Cosi fan tutte, Der Freischütz, Don Carlo, Edward Elgar, Ein deutsches Requiem [A German Requiem], Enrique Granados, Franz Schubert, Geoffrey Parsons, Giuseppe Verdi, Hans Sotin, Heinz Wallberg, James Lockhart, Johannes Brahms, John Pritchard, Lamberto Gardelli, Margaret Price, Otello, Otto Klemperer, Phyllis Tate, Renato Bruson, Riccardo Muti, Robert Schumann, Simon Boccanegra, The Kingdom (Elgar), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yvonne Mintoncountermelody

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Our world seems to be falling apart, both in the personal and in the global sense. I sustained an enormous personal loss this week when my dear friend Fred Berndt, the great German stage director, died suddenly on Friday. But we are all feeling an enormous sense of despair, of hopelessness, even of rage. Even before Fred’s death, I recognized that this episode needed to offer a message of hope to those who are finding it difficult to negotiate the world right now. The voice that has spoken to me most in my sadness is the Welsh soprano Margaret Price (1941-2011), whose distinctively cool yet engaged timbre, scrupulous musicianship, and communicative gifts prove unfailingly capable of conveying comfort and consolation to those who are distressed or grieving. I offer a survey of the career of this exemplary singer, a personal favorite of mine, in a wide range of repertoire including opera, oratorio, and art song. Composers include her specialties Mozart and Verdi, as well as Brahms, Strauss, Schumann, Schubert, Weber, Elgar, and the undervalued British composer Phyllis Tate. Collaborators include Otto Klemperer, Claudio Abbado, John Pritchard, Alain Lombard, Adrian Boult, and her mentor, the pianist and conductor James Lockhart, among many others. I hope that Margaret Price and her voice of consolation bring you much solace.

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. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our 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, including a new extra episode further exploring today’s topic.

Episode 57. Francisco Araiza @ 70

October 18, 2020Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, Giuseppe Verdi, Happy Birthday, Ileana Cotrubas, Lieder, Needle Drop, Operetta, SchubertÁdám Fischer, Alzira, Andrea Chénier, Carlo Maria Giulini, Charles Gounod, Claudio Abbado, Colin Davis, Cosi fan tutte, Daniel García Blanco, Das Lied von der Erde, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die Zauberflöte, Don Pasquale, Edith Mathis, Eduardo Mata, Fernando Lozano, Fidelio, Francisco Araiza, Franz Lehár, Franz Schubert, Gabriele Ferro, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Kuhn, Heinz Wallberg, Herbert von Karajan, Idomeneo, Ileana Cotrubas, Irma González, Irwin Gage, Jacques Offenbach, Jean Lemaire, Jésus “Chucho” Monge Ramírez, Jules Massenet, L’elisir d’amore, La Boheme, La Cenerentola, Lamberto Gardelli, Leonard Bernstein, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Lucia Popp, Ludwig van Beethoven, Manuel M. Ponce, mariachi, Mariella Devia, México Lindo, Ralf Weikert, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Rolando Panerai, Roméo et Juliette, Stefan Soltesz, Stephen Sondheim, Umberto Giordano, West Side Story, Winterreise, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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On October 4, the great Mexican tenor Francisco Araiza celebrated his 70th birthday. On that day I promised my listeners a full episode on this exceptional artist in the very near future. And here it is! I’m thrilled to trace Araiza’s career path, from his studies with the great soprano Irma González through his early career encounters with Herbert von Karajan. Through the 1980s through the 1990s, Araiza was simply the greatest lyric tenor on the planet. I share live and studio recordings of his nonpareil performances of Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti, and the heroes of the French repertoire through his assumption of heavier repertoire including Verdi, Puccini, Beethoven, and Wagner. Though his critics dubbed these journeys ill-advised, I would argue that Araiza’s singing, always rooted in a very secure technique, in fact followed the natural trajectory of his voice and allowed him to retain vocal health and longevity. I also highlight his deeply-felt Lieder performances, including an exceptional live performance of Schubert’s Winterreise.

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. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our 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!