Tag Archives: Hugo von Hofmannsthal

Episode 288. Teresa Żylis-Gara Revisited

September 10, 2024Behind the Iron Curtain, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfredo Kraus, Andrea Chénier, Antonio Somma, Ariadne auf Naxos, Auguste Barbier, Benvenuto Cellini, Berislav Klobučar, David Belasco, Die Zauberflöte, Emanuel Schikaneder, Eugène Scribe, Francesco Maria Piave, Franco Bonisolli, Giacomo Puccini, Gianfranco Masini, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Hector Berlioz, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jacek Kaspszyk, James Levine, Jean Fournet, John Alexander, John Henry Long, José Carreras, Jules Massenet, La Boheme, La Traviata, Leif Segerstam, Léon de Wailly, Luciano Pavarotti, Luigi Illica, Manon, Peter Lindroos, Philippe Gille, Piero Visconti, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Richard Woitach, Seiji Ozawa, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Tannhäuser, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Umberto Giordano, Un ballo in maschera, Wiesław Ochman, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Brendelcountermelody

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Today I revisit the life, career, and sumptuous voice of the great Polish soprano Teresa Żylis-Gara, who died three years ago on 28 August 2021 at the age of 91. The soprano was for the most part shockingly under-recorded, so I have scoured the internet for examples of her live in performance, and unearthed examples of her singing Wagner, Massenet, Puccini, Verdi, Strauss, Giordano, Mozart, and Berlioz with some divine tenorial counterparts including Franco Bonisolli, José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, John Alexander, Alfredo Kraus, Wiesław Ochman, Peter Lindroos, and Piero Visconti. I know I am not the only one who revels in the rich velvety timbre of Mme. Żylis-Gara, and each of the tenors heard alongside her presents her versatile voice in a different facet of its beauty.

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 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.

Episode 280. Heather Harper Revisited

August 13, 2024Art Song, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Contraltos, In Memoriam, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAdrian Boult, Ariadne auf Naxos, Bartolomeo Magni, Cecil Day-Lewis, Claudio Monteverdi, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Doktor Faust, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Edo de Waart, Elizabeth Maconchy, Ferruccio Busoni, Frederik Prausnitz, Georg Solti, George Frideric Handel, Hans Swarowsky, Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Hermann von Gilm, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ian McEwan, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Somary, Judas Maccabaeus, Michael Berkeley, Peter Maag, Raymond Leppard, Richard Hickox, Richard Strauss, Ruth Hesse, Salvatore Quasimodo, Sándor Kónya, Thomas Morellcountermelody

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The beloved Irish soprano Heather Harper died at the age of 88 on 22 April 2019 in London. In music ranging from the Baroque through the modern eras, she displayed an easy mastery as did very few others, as well as a radiant voice and demeanor that made her a favorite collaborator of some of the greatest conductors and composers of the Twentieth Century. Perhaps no other singer matched her accomplishment within such a wide range of styles. This episode was originally published as an addendum to an episode I published in the second season of Countermelody. It highlights Heather Harper in two Richard Strauss roles, Ariadne and the Kaiserin; and features two works which she created, Elizabeth Maconchy’s setting of Cecil Day-Lewis’s dramatic monologue Ariadne, premiered in 1971, and Michael Berkeley and Ian McEwan’s searing 1983 oratorio Or Shall We Die? Harper is also featured in rare recordings of repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Busoni; Offenbach to Dallapiccola. A forgotten 1964 recording of Harper’s transcendent reading of “Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben” from Bach’s St. Matthew Passion rounds off the episode.

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 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 270. Eleanor Steber Revisited

July 5, 2024Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Queer Pride, Rescue Mission, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAl Goodman, Al Vann, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfred Bachelet, Allen Rogers, Augustus Toplady, Barron Smith, Bernard Zaslav, Brian Sullivan, Buddy DeSylva, Carlo Gozzi, Carlo Zangarini, Cesare Sterbini, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Claude Debussy, David Belasco, David Broekman, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Dimitri Mitropoulos, DuBose Heyward, Édouard Guinand, Edwin Biltcliffe, Eleanor Steber, Eugène Adénis-Colombeau, Francesco Maria Piave, Francis Scott Key, Frank Loesser, Frederick Flaxington Harker, Fritz Stiedry, George Gershwin, Giacomo Puccini, Gian Carlo Menotti, Giangiacom Guelfi, Gioachino Rossini, Giovanni Battista Guarini, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Verdi, Guelfo Civinini, Hector Berlioz, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Hugo Wolf, Igor Kipnis, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Ira Gershwin, James Melton, Jean-Philippe Rameau, John Stafford Smith, Juan López de Úbeda, Jussi Bjorling, L’enfant prodigue, La Fanciulla del West, La Traviata, Les nuits d’été, Lilla Kalman, Lohengrin, Maytime (Romberg). Harold Barlow, Nelson Eddy, Oklahoma!, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Heyse, Pembroke Davenport, Pierre Beaumarchais, Porgy and Bess, Renato Simoni, Richard Rodgers, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Rida Johnson Young, Robert K. Evans, Robert Katscher, Rosalind Elias, Rupert Brooke, Samuel Barber, Sigmund Romberg, Sonya Monsoff, Spanisches Liederbuch, Sterling Hunkins, Théophile Gautier, Thomas Hastings, Turandot, Vanessa (Barber), Where’s Charley?, Wilfrid Pelletier, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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I sat in my apartment in Berlin on the Fourth of July wondering how, after the events of this past Monday, I can possibly pay tribute to our nation as it “celebrated” its birthday. Then it hit me: since I would never in a million years produce an episode of patriotic musical material, why not pay tribute to a great American singer instead? I had already been planning an upcoming bonus episode on ELEANOR STEBER, the singer I consider to be one of the greatest (if not the greatest) soprano that our country has ever produced! Nearly two years ago, with the help of my dear friend Michelle Oesterle, who was Eleanor’s step-daughter, I produced an episode dedicated to her; today’s episode will not delve so much into the (still-controversial) person that Eleanor was, but rather offer a cross-section, over the course of more than 40 years, of the wide variety of styles and repertoire in which Steber excelled. Who else could traverse a range of repertoire from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Mozart, Rameau to Wagner, Berlioz to Romberg with such ease and joyful authority? Not only do I explore her longevity, I explore her unparalleled prowess as a vocal technician; as well as her well-documented bad treatment by the Metropolitan Opera and its then-general manager, Rudolf Bing. I also look at the recordings that Steber and her then-husband, Michelle’s father, produced on their own ST/AND label in the early sixties, and then hear Steber sing some quintessentially American music from classic musicals. Along the way, I consider some serious topics, including betrayal, alcoholism, and the power of embedded memory. Finally, I consider the possibility that Eleanor Steber’s celebrated portrayal of Minnie in La fanciulla del West might just offer a possible solution for the divisiveness and political turmoil in which our country currently finds itself. Featured guest singers on the episode include Nelson Eddy, Brian Sullivan, Rosalind Elias, and Jussi Björling; musical collaborators include Dimitri Mitropoulos, Igor Kipnis, Allen Rogers, Fritz Stiedry, and her frequent concert and radio collaborators Howard Barlow and Edwin Biltcliffe.

Episode 266. Sisters in Sapho (Listeners’ Favorites)

June 14, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Crossover, Drag Performance, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Gustav Mahler, Ileana Cotrubas, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Margaret Price, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Operetta, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Queer Pride, Richard Strauss, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAchille de Lauzières, Achim von Arnim, Aida, Alban Berg, Aldous Huxley, Alessandro Scarlatti, Alfred Hennequin, Alfred-Charlemagne Delacour, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Aribert Reimann, Ariodante, Arleen Augér, Auguste Mariette, Bernice Johnson Reagon, BIGLovely, Brigitte Fassbaender, Camille du Locle, Carl Mathieu Lange, Cecilia Gasdia, Clemens Brentano, Cord Garben, Cosi fan tutte, Cris Williamson, Deidre McCalla, Der Rosenkavalier, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Don Carlo, Donato Renzetti, Dusty Springfield, Erik Werba, Felice Romani, Felix Mendelssohn, Ferron, Francesco Cavalli, Frank Wedekind, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Cerha, Friedrich Schiller, George Frideric Handel, Georges Pretre, Giovanni Faustini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gundula Janowitz, Gustav Mahler, Heinrich Heine, Heinrich von Waldberg, Holly Near, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ileana Cotrubas, James Levine, Janet Baker, Janis Ian, Johann Gabriel Seidl, John Wustman, Joseph Méry, Konstantin Balmont, Krzysztof Penderecki, Kurt Eichhorn, Kurt Weill, La Calisto, La Clemenza di Tito, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lulu, Marek Janowski, Margaret Price, Margie Adam, Maurice Ravel, Meg Christian, Meshell Ndegenocello, Nicolai Gedda, Pietro Metastasio, Raymond Leppard, Reri Grist, Riccardo Muti, Richard Heuberger, Richard Strauss, Robert Lloyd, Ronnie Gilbert, Serge Rachmaninov, Tatiana Troyanos, Toshi Reagon, Victor Léon, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Mehring, Willy Mattes, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallischcountermelody

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It’s been a whirlwind of a week chez Gundlach and I find myself at the end of it without a new episode ready to post. In addition to that, we are already halfway through Pride Month and I realized this morning that I had no new queer material up my sleeve. So I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do: I am going to get to work on a brand new episode which will post sometime early next week. But in the meantime, I’m going to do my own Listener’s Favorite episode, one which I posted during the very first season of Countermelody, a wondrous compilation entitled “Sisters in Sappho.” It features not only two of my favorite mezzos of all time (Tatiana Troyanos and Brigitte Fassbaender – both of whom happen to have been lesbians); but also a sampling of the key figures in the Women’s Music Movement of the 1970s, including Meg Christian, Cris Williamson, Margie Adam, Holly Near, and Deidre McCalla. In celebrating these pop icons, I also pay tribute to those who, in turn, paved the way for them, including icons Janis Ian, Dusty Springfield, and Ronnie Gilbert, as well as tipping my hat to two of the queer Black singers (Toshi Reagon, Meshell Ndegeocello), that followed in the wake of these women. We all owe an enormous debt of gratitude to these extraordinary artists, who paved the way for us, their musical and artistic descendants, at the same time setting standards that will stand the test of time. Vocal guest stars include Janet Baker, Ileana Cotrubas, Cecilia Gasdia, Nicolai Gedda, Margaret Price, Gundula Janowitz, Arleen Augér, and Reri Grist.

Episode 233 – Dusty Pörn Introduces Eleanor Steber (Listeners’ Favorites IV)

January 10, 2024Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Interview, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlban Berg, Alexandre Dumas, Arabella, Astrid Varnay, Cosi fan tutte, David Belasco, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Dusty Pörn, Edwin Biltcliffe, Eleanor Steber, Enzo Viaro, Eric Coates, Ernani, Fausto Cleva, Frederick Weatherly, Fritz Busch, Fritz Stiedry, Georg Büchner, George London, Giuseppe Antonicelli, Giuseppe di Stefano, Howard Barlow, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, I Puritani, Il Trovatore, James A. Bland, James Agee, Jean Madeira, Joseph Keilberth, Jussi Bjorling, Karl Böhm, La Fanciulla del West, La Traviata, Lohengrin, Madama Butterfly, Mario del Monaco, Max Rudolf, Naughty Marietta, Nicholas Harsanyi, Percy Faith, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Risë Stevens, Royden Barrie, Rudolf Kempe, Samuel Barber, Victor Herbert, Victor Hugo, Vincenzo Bellini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wozzeckcountermelody

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Today’s subject is Eleanor Steber, certainly one of the greatest and most versatile of American sopranos. She is introduced by one of the most recent (and most colorful) of all of my listeners, the San Francisco-based drag artiste (and vocalist extraordinaire) Dusty Pörn. In this very special episode, which I first posted in the summer of 2022 in honor of Steber’s 108th birthday, musical selections from across the duration of Steber’s long career, are supplemented by the generous and loving commentary of my friend, singer and conductor Michelle Oesterle, who was Eleanor’s stepdaughter. As such Michelle spent time (especially in the summer months) with her father and Eleanor at Melodie Hill, Eleanor’s estate on Long Island. She provides us with an unparalleled intimate portrait of Eleanor as woman and as singer and describes the profound influence that Eleanor had in her life, as well as the characteristics that combined to make her the profoundly appealing and moving interpreter that she was. She also addresses the white elephant in the room, that is, Eleanor’s alcoholism, and makes a plea for tolerance and understanding vis-à-vis this serious disease. Many thanks to both Dusty and Michelle for their loving and perceptive tributes to this greatest of singers and artists.

Episode 211. Janet Baker @ 90

August 25, 2023UncategorizedAchim von Arnim, Anthony Lewis, Beverly Sills, Caterino Mazzolà, Christian Friedrich Henrici, Christopher Hassall, Claudio Monteverdi, Clemens Brentano, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Dido and Aeneas, Ernest Lush, Felice Romani, Geoffrey Chaucer, Gioacchino Rossini, Giovanni Francesco Busanello, Giuseppe Patanè, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Heinrich Heine, Henry Purcell, Hippolyte et Aricie, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Janet Baker, Jean Baptiste Racine, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Pritchard, Klaus Growth, L’incoronazione di Poppea, La Cenerentola, La Clemenza di Tito, Martin Isepp, Maurice Delage, Melos Ensemble, Nahum Tate, Neville Marriner, Norman Del Mar, Norman Foster, Ottorino Respighi, Picander, Pietro Metastasio, Raymond Leppard, Renata Scotto, Richard Strauss, Robert Ferguson, Roberto Ascoli, Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, Thomas Dunhill, Troilus and Cressida, Vasil Stefanov, Vincenzo Bellini, William Shakespeare, William Walton, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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This past week the opera world was plunged into mourning over the sudden death of Renata Scotto. Originally I had intended this week’s episode to be devoted to her memory. But I can’t even speak her name without bursting into tears. In other words, I need more time as I try to come to terms with her demise. I have decided to feature the matchless singing actor in the first episode of Season Five. In the meantime, we have another momentous occasion (and artist) to acknowledge: the 90th birthday of the English Rose: the phenomenal Janet Baker. Given that I could probably devote an entire podcast to Dame Janet, and given the wealth of material in my personal collection featuring this artist, much of it rare and unusual, I have chosen to feature this beloved artist in her third full Countermelody episode. There are few vocal artists in the history of classical music who have exhibited greater versatility than Janet Baker; this episode features many rare performances across the entirety of her long career of repertoire in which she had virtually no equal, as well as music in which she also excels but which might prove surprising. Thus we hear the expected mélodie, Lied, British song and Bach aria alongside Purcell’s Dido and pants roles by both Mozart and Richard Strauss. But we also hear such surprises as Monteverdi’s Poppea (sinuously and surprisingly sexy), Bellini’s Romeo (opposite Beverly Sills), William Walton’s Cressida (in the 1976 version of his opera Troilus and Cressida refashioned expressly for Baker), and a sublime extended orchestral song by Respighi, as well as the ultimate jaw-dropper, Rossini’s Cenerentola! We wish long life and continued health and vitality to one of the greatest mezzo-sopranos of the twentieth century!

Episode 208. Happy Birthday, Gundula Janowitz!

August 1, 2023Art Song, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Schubert, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartArabella, Carl Maria von Weber, Charles Spencer, Cosi fan tutte, Del Rubio Triplets, Der Freischütz, Der Ring des Polykrates, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Fidelio, Franco Corelli, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Schiller, Fritz Rieger, Giuseppe Verdi, Gundula Janowitz, Heinrich Hollreiser, Horst Stein, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Johann Sebastian Bach, Karl Böhm, Karl Lappe, Lee Hazlewood, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lucia Popp, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mathieu Lange, Paul Reubens, Pee Wee Herman, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Tannhäuser, Vier letzte Lieder, Wilhelm Loibner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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From a very young age I was interested in today’s birthday celebrant, the great Gundula Janowitz, at least partially because of a similarity between her first name and my last name! But even more than that, I was drawn to the ethereal purity of her voice, possessed of an immediately identifiable timbre unlike that of any other singer. From the 1960s through the 1980s, Janowitz was the reigning queen of the jugendlich dramatisch soprano repertoire, excelling in the roles of Mozart, Strauss and Wagner (the so-called wagneriennes blanches heroines), as well as being a Bach singer of the highest order and an exceptional Lieder singer. What is there not to love? Janowitz was also a frequent visitor to the recording studio, and to this day her recordings form a cornerstone of the Deutsche Grammophon catalog. On today’s episode, however, I stick firmly to her live and radio recordings, some of them quite rare, of the repertoire for which she was so justly celebrated. We sample live recordings of her Arabella, Fiordiligi, Agathe, and Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, as well as a more surprising Elisabetta, the conflicted queen in Verdi’s Don Carlo. Also highlighted is her exceptional and career-defining performance of the role of Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio, in a rare live 1977 from the Orange Festival. Guest vocalists include Lucia Popp and Franco Corelli. This is a mouthful, so I’ll say it for all of us: Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag an eine der gefeiertsten und verehrtesten Sopranistinnen des 20. Jahrhunderts!

Episode 200. Whole Lotta Lotte (Lehmann!)

June 9, 2023Art Song, Giacomo Puccini, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Schubert, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAlfred Maria Willner, Amin Maalouf, Anne Sofie von Otter, Arabella, Arturo Toscanii, Astrud Gilberto, Ben Johnson, Bruno Seidler-Winkler, Christian Karlsen, Christian L’Egru, Das Wunder der Heliane, Der Rosenkavalier, Die tote Stadt, Eduard Mörike, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Ernő Balogh, Fidelio, Franco Alfano, Franz Lehár, Franz Schubert, Franz von Schober, Georg Philipp Schmidt von Lübeck, Georg Szell, George Szell, Giacomo Puccini, Giovacchino Forzano, Giuseppe Adami, Hans Müller-Einigen, Hermann Weigert, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Hugo Wolf, Johannes Brahms, Joseph Sonnleithner, Kaija Saariaho, Käte Heidersbach, Käthe Heidersbach, Klaus Growth, Kurt Robitschek, Lotte Lehmann, Ludwig van Beethoven, Manfred Gurlitt, Paul Ulanowsky, Rainer Maria Rilke, Renato Simoni, Richard Jäger, Richard Strauss Heinrich Hart, Richard Tauber, Richard Wagner, Robert Bodanzky, Robert Schumann, Robert Stolz, Suor Angelica, Turandot, Walter Wanderley, Wilhelm Müllercountermelody

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Today we observe a significant event in the history of Countermelody, namely, our 200th episode! I decided that there was no better way to celebrate than to devote a full episode to the great Lotte Lehmann (1888-1976), who vies with Claudia Muzio as one of my two favorite singers of all time. Lehmann was originally a conservatory flunkie, but somehow got her act together to become one of the most expressive and imaginative singers, both of opera and of art song, that ever lived. From the first time I heard this warm, enveloping voice allied to a theatrical, emotional style of delivery, I was in love. Though I have frequently featured her in individual cuts on the podcast, this is the first time she has been featured on her own episode. She is heard in live, studio, and radio recordings made between the years 1916 and 1958, all of which reveal her in all aspects of her sublime artistry and in the company of some of the greatest artists of her era, from Arturo Toscanini to Richard Tauber to George Szell, to her preferred accompanist, Paul Ulanowsky. Choosing the selections for this week’s program was like reencountering an old friend. The episode begins with a brief tribute to the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died a week ago at the age of 70 and to the evocative singer Astrud Gilberto, who died this past week at the age of 83.

Episode 197. Theatre Dreams

May 19, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Broadway, Comic Relief, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Renata Scotto, Richard Wagner, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Voiceless Wonders, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Alain Boublil, Alice Ripley, Arnold Schoenberg, Arrigo Boito, Arthur Endrèze, Benjamin Britten, Birgit Nilsson, Biserka Cvejić, Bohuslav Martinů, Brigitte Fassbaender, Carl Maria von Weber, Cesare Valletti, Charles Gounod, Charles Kullman, Claude Devos, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Cy Coleman, Daniel Gundlach, Der Freischütz, Der Zigeunerbaron, Deva Dassy, Dorothy Fields, Edith Mathis, Eduard Künneke, Eleanor Steber, Elektra, Emily Skinner, Ettore Panizza, Eugen Jochum, Fiddler on the Roof, Frank Porretta, Franz Allers, Frieder Weissmann, Gabriel Faure, Georg Solti, Georges Neveux, Geraint Evans, Giovanni Martinelli, Giuseppe Verdi, Grace Bumbry, Hanna Binyamini, Harold Barlow, Henri Defosse, Henri Meilhac, Hildegard Behrens, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ira Gershwin, Iris (Mascagni), Ivo Žídek, Izhak Graziani, Jacques Brel, Jacques Offenbach, James Levine, Janet Baker, Jaroslav Krombholc, Jean Laforge, Jerry Bock, Joe Darion, Johann Strauss II, José Van Dam, Jules Barbier, Jules Gressier, Jules Massenet, Kurt Weill, La Belle Helene, Lady in the Dark, Lawrence Tibbett, Lea Dulitzkaya, Lee Venora, Leopold Ludwig, Léopold Marchand, Les Misérables, Lloyd Arriola, Lohengrin, Louis Beydts, Ludovic Halévy, Luigi Illica, Man of La Mancha, Manon, Mária Tauberová, Marie Pappenheim, Martin Isepp, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Melitta Muszely, Michel Carré, Mitch Leigh, Nello Santi, Nicolai Gedda, Oklahoma!, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otello, Patrick Baton, Philippe Gille, Pierre Monteux, Pietro Mascagni, Renata Scotto, René Leibowitz, Richard Rodgers, Richard Strauss, Richard Tauber, Richard Wagner, Robert Massard, Robert Stolz, Roland Gilbert, Romand Bussine, Roméo et Juliette, Sheldon Harnick, Shmuel Rudenski, Shraga Friedman, Spiros Argiris, Sweet Charity, The King and I, Todd Ellison, Victoria de los Angeles, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zafrira Yaronicountermelody

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I’ve been plotting an episode on the subject of Dreams for a while. Given the profusion of music that references that altered state of consciousness, my challenge was narrowing down the topic. I chose to focus today on theater music (opera, operetta, and musicals) that references actual rather than figurative dreams. Even within these parameters, there was a plethora of material and as usual my repertoire choices are strangely and uniquely my own. So on this episode you’ll hear everything from a 1965 recording of Tevye’s Dream from Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, from the first Israeli production of the musical; Renata Scotto in late career essaying the haunted dreamscapes of Arnold Schoenberg’s monodrama Erwartung; Mattiwilda Dobbs in a rare 1952 recording of “Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben” from Mozart’s Zaide; excerpts from unusual French and German operettas featuring Robert Massard and Charles Kullman, respectively; birthday tributes to Birgit Nilsson and Richard Tauber; and the great Welsh bass Geraint Evans in a live performance of Bottom’s Dream from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And much, much more, including a teaser of next week’s subject the Italian lyric tenor Cesare Valletti; and Janet Baker live in recital in 1966, a preview of the first in a series of bonus episodes that will feature rare LPs from my personal collection. As always, thanks for your support; enjoy!

Episode 193. Alexander Kipnis

April 21, 2023Art Song, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, SchubertAlexander Kipnis, Alexander Pushkin, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Arrigo Boito, Arthur Bergh, Arturo Toscanini, Boris Godunov, Celius Dougherty, Clemens Schmalstich, Coenraad V. Bos, Der Rosenkavalier, Der Zauberflöte, Detlev von Liliencron, Dichterliebe, Emanuel Schikaneder, Erich Ortmann, Ernst Victor Wolff, Folk Song, Francesco Maria Piave, Frank Bibb, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Schiller, Georg Friedrich Daumer, Gerald Moore, Giuseppe Verdi, Gleb Yellin, Heinrich Heine, Hermann Lingg, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Hugo Wolf, Italienisches Liederbuch, J. Michel Diack, Johannes Brahms, Joseph von Eichendorff, Ludwig Rellstab, Michelangelo, Modest Mussorgsky, Nicolai Berezovsky, Paul Heyse, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Robert Schumann, Schwanengesang, Simon Boccanegra, Tristan und Isolde, Walter Heinrich Robert-Tornow, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Rosécountermelody

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If I were to indulge in the foolish task of dubbing certain artists the “Greatest Ever,” I would have little hesitation in naming Ukrainian-American bass Alexander Kipnis (1891–1978) “the greatest” in several categories: greatest Wagner bass, greatest low-voiced Lieder singer, just maybe even the greatest bass ever captured on recording. Though I am trying to wean myself of these designations, I have no difficulty in naming Kipnis my favorite bass. In this episode, his operatic impersonations, though legendary, are touched on but peripherally: the focus instead is on his contributions in art song, specifically Lieder. Despite his heavily-accented German (which to my ear only increases the power of his interpretations in songs like Schubert’s “Aufenthalt” or Wolf’s Michelangelo-Lieder), Kipnis was as keenly attuned to text and its musical setting than any singer of art song before or since. As usual of late in my episodes, I begin with several short contrasting examples that illustrate the “why” question: why was this artist so important, and why does he remain so? There follow a few all-too-brief examples of Kipnis in opera, including examples stretching back to his earliest recordings in 1916, when he was barely 25 years old. Then follow a further examination of Kipnis’s Lieder recordings, including a rare 1943 radio broadcast of Schumann’s Dichterliebe accompanied by Wolfgang Rosé, the son-in-law of Gustav Mahler, as well as recordings issued under the aegis of the Hugo Wolf Society and the Johannes Brahms Society, and his matchless early recordings of the songs of Franz Schubert, which were my introduction not only to Kipnis’s magisterial voice, but also the songs themselves. In all of this material, whether tender, ardent, humorous, or transcendent, Kipnis’s dignity and humanity shine through.

Episode 186. Roberta Alexander in Opera

March 3, 2023African American Singers, BHM2023WK4, Black History Month, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Happy Birthday, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAdam Gatehouse, Adrian de Peyer, Andrew Davis, Angels in America, Beatrice Cenci (Goldschmidt), Benjamin Luxon, Berthold Goldschmidt, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Dante Alighieri, Der gewaltige Hahnrei (Goldschmidt), Don Giovanni, DuBose Heyward, Edward Downes, Egon Wellesz, Elektra, Esa-Pekka Salonen, ETA Hoffmann, Fernand Crommelynck, Fiona Kimm, Francesca da Rimini (Rachmaninov), George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Gerd Albrecht, Giulio Cesare, Gregg Baker, Gwenneth Bean, Hans Aschenbach, Hans Vonk, Hermann Hesse, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ilse Eerens, Ira Gershwin, Jacques Offenbach, James Morris, Jenůfa, Kenneth Montgomery, La Clemenza di Tito, Le nozze di Figaro, Leos Janacek, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lothar Zagrosek, Michael Forest, Michael Schneider, Modest Tchaikovsky, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Paride ed Elena, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Péter Eötvös, Philip Langridge, Porgy and Bess, Renate Behle, Richard Strauss, Robert Wörle, Roberta Alexander, Sergei Rachmaninov, Theodora (Handel), Vier letzte Lieder, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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Today it is with the utmost excitement that I bring you an episode devoted to one of my favorite singers of all time, soprano Roberta Alexander, who celebrates her birthday today, March 3rd! I remember first encountering this radiant voice of burnished silver back when I was in graduate school when I discovered her early recordings of art song, including albums devoted to Charles Ives and Richard Strauss. Over the course of a long and successful career she has sung in all major opera houses around the world and in concert halls under the batons of countless distinguished maestri. What is it that makes this voice so special? Alongside a rock-solid vocal technique that has allowed her to sing well into her seventies, she is also gifted with impeccable musicianship and staggering stylistic versatility. For me it is not only the unusual color of the voice, both shimmering and profound (the chiaroscuro!), but even more so, her dedication to communication through clarity of diction and razor-sharp dramatic precision that sends her into the realm of the all-time greats. This episode focuses on Roberta’s versatility and prowess on the operatic stage, featuring live and studio recordings over more than thirty years of works by composers from Handel, Gluck, and Mozart, through twentieth century masters such as Janácek, Gershwin, and Berthold Goldschmidt. We also hear an excerpt from one of Roberta’s favorites among her recordings, a rare 1982 live performance of Richard Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder. Speaking of Lieder, an upcoming episode this spring will focus on our diva on the concert platform. It was my great honor to meet Roberta in person when she was performing in Berlin in 2022 and therefore it is also to her as a friend that I extend my heartiest good wishes for a happy birthday. I had to remind myself not to fan girl as I was recording the narration for this episode, but I’m not sure I succeeded!

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 173. Orchesterlieder I

December 2, 2022Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mirella Freni, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century MusicAlain Lombard, Alberto Ginastera, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Alphons Diepenbrock, André Caplet, André Jolivet, Andrzej Hiolski, Antal Dorati, Antoine Golea, Antonín Dvořák, Arthur Loosli, Bernard Kruysen, Bohumil Gregor, Brian Priestman, Charles Baudelaire, Charles Panzéra, Christoph von Dohnányi, Colette Herzog, Ernst Hermann Meyer, Francisco Araiza, Frank Martin, Franz Kafka, Franz Schreker, Giuseppe Martucci, Gundula Janowitz, Gwyneth Jones, Hans Effenberger, Hans Reisinger, Helen Donath, Herbert Kegel, Hermann Scherchen, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Irene Gubrud, Jan Krenz, Jean Sibelius, Kalevala, Karan Armstrong, Karl Friedrich Henckell, Kurt Sanderling, Lorin Maazel, Louis Fürnberg, Luonnotor, Mirella Freni, Ned Rorem, Nikolaus Lenau, Othmar Schoeck, Peter Schreier, Phyllis Curtin, Piero Coppola, Rabindranath Tagore, Rémy de Gourmont, Riccardo Muti, Richard Stamp, Richard Strauss, Roberto Abbado, Rocco Emanuele Pagliara, Tadeusz Baird, Theo Adam, Theo Loosli, Walt Whitman, Willem van Otterloo, William Shakespeare, Yi-Kwei Szecountermelody

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This week is the first of a series of episodes focusing on songs with orchestral accompaniment. The genre is almost a contradiction in terms: the intimacy and textual focus of art song with the sometimes strenuous vocal demands of singing over an orchestra. The most celebrated and successful of such songs (by Berlioz, Mahler, Ravel, Barber, Strauss, and others) are heard over and over on symphonic concerts when vocal soloists are the featured guests. And rightly so, for they are among the most glorious classical music written for the human voice. Typically for Countermelody, however, today’s episode, however, will focus on repertoire and composers that are less celebrated to the point of being virtually unknown. Composers heard include Frank Martin, Alexander Zemlinsky, Jean Sibelius, Giuseppe Martucci, Franz Schreker, Othmar Schoeck, Antonín Dvořák, Alberto Ginastera, Alphons Diepenbrock and the two Andrés, Jolivet and Caplet, alongside many others, performed by such favorites as Gwyneth Jones, Phyllis Curtin, Peter Schreier, Gundula Janowitz, Yi-Kwei Sze, Mirella Freni, Francisco Araiza, Elisabeth Söderström, and Bernard Kruysen. Also heard are Helen Donath and Andrzej Hiolski, singers soon to be featured on their own episodes, alongside lesser-remembered names such as Arthur Loosli, Irene Gubrud, and Colette Herzog. Conductors include Kurt Sanderling, Antal Doráti, Herbert Kegel, Bohumil Gregor, Hermann Scherchen, and Lorin Maazel. I “guarantee” that your ears will be enchanted and your musical horizons will be expanded by this episode.

Episode 162. NYCO Divas: An Introduction

September 16, 2022African American Singers, Bel canto, Broadway, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAlexander Borodin, Anne Elgar, Anton Guadagno, Ariadne auf Naxos, Arthur Miller, Benvenuto Cellini, Beverly Sills, Brenda Lewis, Camilla Williams, Carlisle Floyd, Carol Brice, Carol Neblett, Charles Gounod, Charles Wilson, Christopher Keene, Douglas Moore, Ellen Faull, Emerson Buckley, Faust, Frances Bible, Gustav Meier, Hector Berlioz, Herbert Beattie, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jack Beeson, Johanna Meier, John LaTouche, Jules Massenet, Julius Rudel, Kenward Elmslie, Laszlo Halasz, Lillian Hellman, Lizzie Borden (Beeson and Elmslie), Lydia Ibarrondo, Manon, Maralin Niska, Marc Blitzstein, New York City Opera, Olivia Stapp, Patricia Brooks, Patricia Wells, Patricia Wise, Phyllis Curtin, Prince Igor, Regina, Richard Strauss, Robert Ward, Samuel Krachmalnick, Sarah Caldwell, Susannah, The Ballad of Baby Doe, The Crucible, Veronica Tyler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Today is the final regular episode of Season Three of Countermelody, as well as the last of my summer series documenting musical life in New York City during the years 1950 through 1975. I am thrilled to start what I hope will be an occasional series of episodes that will drop throughout Season Four, which begins in two weeks. I present to you a small sampling of the extraordinary singing actors that peopled the stage of New York City Opera during the years in question. The most famous of these, of course, is Beverly Sills, and she is aptly represented in her most radiant early prime. But there are many other singers as well, including African American divas Carol Brice and Veronica Tyler, preceded by Camilla Williams (the first Black singer to be awarded a standing contract with a major US opera company… in 1946!). City Opera was celebrated for presenting an absolute slew of new American work in its heyday, and we hear works by Carlilse Floyd, Robert Ward, Douglas Moore, Marc Blitzstein, and Jack Beeson in performances by Phyllis Curtin, Frances Bible, Brenda Lewis, and Ellen Faull. Other divas strutting their stuff include Olivia Stapp, Johanna Meier, and the three mesdames Patricia: Brooks, Wells, and Wise. The episode is capped by some of the rarest live recordings from the stage of City Opera by three singers who made their mark during their heyday, and would be the biggest stars in the world were they singing today: Gilda Cruz-Romo, Maralin Niska, and Carol Neblett, all of whom will be featured in her own episode during Countermelody’s upcoming season. A fitting way to end Season Three, as well as a harbinger of vocal delights to come! (Next week will be a preview of the upcoming season!)

Episode 156. Barely Sang at the Met II

August 5, 2022Bel canto, Canadian Singers, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAlban Berg, Alberto Remedios, Alexander Gibson, Alfredo Catalani, Anne Howells, Arrigo Boito, Artur Rodzinski, Carlo Felice Cillario, Charles Bruck, Christel Goltz, Cosi fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Don Giovanni, Eberhard Wächter, Elektra (Strauss), Emanuel, Erna Schlüter, Frank Wedekind, Fromental Halévy, Gabriele d’Annunzio, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Giuseppe Patanè, Giuseppe Verdi, Herbert Häfner, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, I Masnadieri, Ildebrando Pizzetti, Ilona Steingruber, Jane Rhodes, Jean Bobescu, Joan Carden, Jorma Hynninen, Josef Greindl, Josephine Veasey, Jules Massenet, Kurt Herbert Adler, La forza del destino, Leopold Ludwig, Lorenzo da Ponte, Ludovic Spiess, Luisa Malagrida, Lulu (Berg), Manon (Massenet), Margherita Roberti, Maria Chiara, Marina Krilovici, Metropolitan Opera, Montserrat Caballé, Norma (Bellini), Okko Kamu, Oscar Wilde, Otello, Otto Wiener, Pekka Nuotio, Peter Maag, Ramón Vinay, Richard Verreau, Richard Wagner, Rudolf Moralt, Salome (Strauss), Schikaneder, Sergei Prokofiev, Shirley Verrett, Stafford Dean, Tannhäuser, The Fiery Angel (Prokofiev), Thomas Beecham, Tristan und Isolde, Vincenzo Bellini, Walburga Wegner, Wilfrid Pelletier, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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This week is the conclusion of my presentation on world-class singers who made a minimal number of appearances at the Metropolitan Opera. My arbitrary parameters for this episode were singers who appeared (approximately) between the years 1950 and 1975 and sang fewer than ten performances in total at that venerable institution. Among the artists featured are the British singers Josephine Veasey and Anne Howells (both of whom we lost earlier this year), as well as Stafford Dean and Alberto Remedios; the French-Canadian tenors Léopold Simoneau and Richard Verreau; the Romanians Ludovic Spiess and Marina Krilovici; the US-American dramatic coloratura Margherita Roberti; the Australian super-soprano Joan Carden; the Italian sopranos Maria Chiara and Luisa Malagrida; the French falcon Jane Rhodes; the Austrians Eberhard Wächter and Otto Wiener; the Finnish heldentenor Pekka Nuotio; and the Germans Josef Greindl, Walburga Wegner, Erna Schlüter and Christel Goltz. Met stalwarts Monserrat Caballé, Shirley Verrett, Ramón Vinay, and Jorma Hynninen are featured as vocal guest stars; conductors include such greats as Dimitri Mitroupoulos, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Thomas Beecham, Carlo Felice Cillario, and Arthur Rodziński..

Episode 153. Eleanor Steber I

July 15, 2022Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Interview, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century MusicAlban Berg, Alexandre Dumas, Arabella, Astrid Varnay, Cosi fan tutte, David Belasco, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Edwin Biltcliffe, Eleanor Steber, Enzo Viaro, Eric Coates, Ernani, Fausto Cleva, Frederick Weatherly, Fritz Busch, Fritz Stiedry, Georg Büchner, George London, Giuseppe Antonicelli, Giuseppe di Stefano, Howard Barlow, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, I Puritani, Il Trovatore, James A. Bland, James Agee, Jean Madeira, Joseph Keilberth, Jussi Bjorling, Karl Böhm, La Fanciulla del West, La Traviata, Lohengrin, Madama Butterfly, Mario del Monaco, Max Rudolf, Naughty Marietta, Nicholas Harsanyi, Percy Faith, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Risë Stevens, Royden Barrie, Rudolf Kempe, Samuel Barber, Victor Herbert, Victor Hugo, Vincenzo Bellini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wozzeckcountermelody

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July 17 is the 108th birthday of Eleanor Steber, surely one of the all-time greatest singers that the United States has ever produced (as well as one of the most versatile and technically-accomplished!) In long overdue Countermelody tribute to this exceptional artist, I present the first of two very special episodes honoring Eleanor. After the “usual” career overview featuring mostly live highlights from her operatic appearances all over the world, I turn the stage (or in this case the mic), over to my dear friend Michelle Oesterle, founder and conductor of the Manhattan Girls Chorus, who was also Eleanor Steber’s stepdaughter. As such she spent time (especially in the summer months) with her father and Eleanor at Melody Hill, Eleanor’s estate on Long Island. She provides us with an unparalleled intimate portrait of Eleanor as woman and as singer and describes the profound influence that Eleanor had in her life, as well as the characteristics that combined to make her the profoundly appealing and moving interpreter that she was. She also addresses the white elephant in the room, that is, Eleanor’s alcoholism, and makes a plea for tolerance and understanding vis-à-vis this serious disease. The Steber tribute will continue with a further episode sometime in the next month. For now, let us raise our glasses (of sparkling mineral water), in tribute to this phenomenal artist, the like of which we will never see again. Musical selections range from Victor Herbert to Alban Berg and everything in between. Thank you, Michelle, and evviva Eleanor!

Episode 139. Swiss Misses and Misters

April 8, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Canadian Singers, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers of Color, Voiceless WondersAbbé Prevost, Albert Wolff, Alessandro Striggio, Arthur Honegger, Charles Gounod, Charles Munch, Charles Panzéra, Claudio Monteverdi, Edith Mathis, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, Eric Tappy, Erika Burkhart, Ernest Ansermet, Ernest Bloch, Ernst Haefliger, Fernando Corena, Francis Poulenc, Frank Martin, Gabriel Faure, Giorgio Favaretto, Gloria Davy, Guillaume Apollinaire, Hans Münch, Heinz Rehfuss, Henri Meilhac, Hermann Hesse, Hermann Lingg, Hermann Suter, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Hugues Cuenod, Jakob Stämpfli, James Walker, Janine Micheau, Jean Binet, Jean Cuttat, Jean de La Ville de Mirmont, Jean Fournet, Jean Lemaire, Johannes Brahms, Jörg Wyttenbach, Jules Barbier, Jules Massenet, Karl Böhm, Kurt Widmer, Libero de Luca, Lisa Della Casa, Louis Quilico, Ludwig Hölty, Magdeleine Panzéra-Baillot, Manon (Massenet), Marko Rothmüller, Michel Carré, Michel Corboz, Michio Kobayashi, Norma Procter, Paul Claudel, Philippe Gille, Pierre Aegerter, Pierre Mollet, Richard Strauss, Rudolf Kelterborn, Theo Altmeyer, Ursula Buckel, Wolfgang Schneiderhancountermelody

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A few months ago, David and I paid a visit to Zurich. The weather was glorious, we ate well, saw interesting theater, and I found a great used record store that was probably the one inexpensive place in the entire city. I had been thinking of doing an episode on Swiss singers ever since I started the podcast nearly three years ago and this experience provided the needed impetus to put this together. It helps that, to paraphrase the bigot, “Some of my favorite singers are Swiss.” Because of the unique polyglot nature of the country, there are many different stylistic trends to be found in Swiss music and Swiss singers. As with my recent episode on Ukraine, I decided to foreground not just the singers, but also the composers, of the featured country. So not only do we get to experience the singing of such favorites as Lisa Della Casa, Charles Panzéra, Ernst Haefliger, Heinz Rehfuss, Hugues Cuénod, and Eric Tappy (with a special nod to Gloria Davy, Ira Malaniuk, and Maria Stader, all naturalized Swiss citizens), but we hear the music of Ernest Bloch, Othmar Schoeck, Arthur Honegger, Frank Martin, Hermann Suter, and others. This is just a dip of the toe into the pure waters of Swiss music and singers: episodes on individual favorites will no doubt follow in due time!

Episode 131. Happy Birthday, Reri Grist! (Black History Month 2022)

February 18, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, BHM2023WK4, Black History Month, Broadway, Comic Relief, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAchim von Arnim, Alessandro Scarlatti, Andre Previn, Ariadne auf Naxos, Bernhard Paumgartner, Claude Debussy, Clemens Brentano, Cosi fan tutte, Denis Vaughan, Der Rosenkavalier, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die schweigsame Frau, Don Pasquale, Donald Grobe, Dory Langdon Previn, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Antonio Perti, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Patanè, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Hilde Güden, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Igor Stravinsky, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Il re pastore, Judith Raskin, Karl Böhm, Kurt Böhme, L’elisir d’amore, Lakmé, Le nozze di Figaro, Léo Delibes, Leonard Bernstein, Luciano Pavarotti, Luigi Alva, Mathieu Lange, Max Goberman, Nicolai Gedda, Paul Verlaine, Pierre Thibaud, Reri Grist, Richard Lewis, Richard Strauss, Rigoletto, Robert Craft, Sena Jurinac, Silvio Varviso, Stefan Zweig, Stephen Sondheim, Un ballo in maschera, West Side Story, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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The great African American coloratura Reri Grist was born on leap year 1932. We celebrate her upcoming 90th birthday with a tribute featuring many of her greatest roles and recordings. After appearing as Consuelo in the 1957 Broadway premiere of West Side Story, and encouraged by Leonard Bernstein, Grist began a career in opera that took her around the world to all of the greatest opera houses. Reri Grist was the perfect exemplar of the so-called “-ina” roles: soubrette parts in Mozart and Strauss operas (Blondchen, Susanna, Despina, Zerlina, Zerbinetta, and Sophie), as well as the comic operas of Donizetti and Rossini (including Adina, Norina, and Rosina). This episode features her in most of these roles and concludes with the glorious finale of the second act of Richard Strauss’s 1935 comedy Die schweigsame Frau, one of her most notable successes. Vocal guest stars today include Christa Ludwig, Luciano Pavarotti, Sena Jurinac, Nicolai Gedda, Gwyneth Jones, Luigi Alva, Judith Raskin, Donald Grobe, and Richard Lewis. Whether you are celebrating 90 years or 22-and-a-half leap years, we celebrate you, Frau Grist, and offer heartfelt thanks for the joys that you have offered us.