Tag Archives: Ivor Gurney

Episode 297. In Pace

October 13, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Lieder, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAin’t Misbehavin’, André de Shields, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andy Razaf, Carlo Zangarini, Christopher Keyte, Clairières dans le ciel, Claude Debussy, Claudio Monteverdi, David Belasco, David Cullen, Dick Scanlan, Dominic Cossa, Edward Thomas, Eric Tappy, Erna Spoorenberg, Fats Waller, Francis Jammes, Franz Lehár, Franz Schubert, Franz Welser-Möst, Gaetano Donizetti, Gavin Creel, Gene Page, Geoffrey Pratley, Giacomo Puccini, Giovanni Francesco Busenello, Guelfo Civinini, Hello Dolly!, Helmuth Rilling, Henri Meilhac, Howard Crook, Ivor Gurney, James Darren, Jean Françaix, Jean-Marie Auberson, Jeanine Tesori, Jerry Herman, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Ken Page, Kris Kristofferson, L’incoronazione di Poppea, La Fanciulla del West, Lando Bartolini, Leo Stein, Lili Boulanger, Lucia di Lammermoor, Luther Henderson, Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Maurice Maeterlinck, Meredith Willson, Michael Rafter, Michel-Richard Delalande, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Pelleas et Melisande, Petula Clark, Philippe Herreweghe, Rachel Yakar, Robbie Roth, Robert Hale, Robert Wilson, Roger Sessions, Salvadore Cammarano, Seiji Ozawa, Seth Rudetsky, Siegfried Lorenz, Sinéad O’Connor, Steve Davislim, T.S. Eliot, Tamás Pál, The Music Man, Tony Hatch, Ute Gfrerer, Vespro della beata vergine, Viktor Léon, Walt Whitman, Walter Scott, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’dcountermelody

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Today I present part two of my “In Memoriam” series, honoring treasured singers who have recently died. This week I focus on male singers, covering the gamut from opera singers (Dominic Cossa, Lando Bartolini, Eric Tappy, Steve Davislim, Siegfried Lorenz) to pop stars (James Darren, Kris Kristofferson); early music singers (Howard Crook) to Broadway icons (Ken Page, Gavin Creel). As with last week’s episode, each of these singers left an indelible mark in their respective musical field(s) and each loss is felt profoundly, especially those like Steve Davislim and Gavin Creel, whose time to leave this earth came much too soon. Musically speaking this is a particularly eclectic episode, featuring everything from Monteverdi and Delalande, to country western standards. Other singers heard in the episode include André de Shields and Ute Gfrerer, as well as other artists who died over the course of the last year, including Robert Hale, Norman Shetler, Rachel Yakar, and Sinéad O’Connor.

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 295. Requiescat

October 6, 2024Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Broadway, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Pop Icons, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAntonio García Gutiérrez, Antonio Votto, April Cantelo, Benjamin Britten, Bob Wilson, Bruce Blunt, Carlo Pepoli, Celestina Casapietra, Christine Weidinger, Corneliu Murgu, Daphne, David Belasco, David Hemmings, David Willcocks, Deborah Roberts, Edo de Waart, Edward Heyman, Elena Mauti-Nunziata, Eric Crozier, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Fernández Shaw, Frank Eyton, Gaetano Donizetti, George Frideric Handel, Georges Bizet, Georges Rodenbach, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gregorio Allegro, Grigoire Iosub, Herbert Kegel, I Puritani, Il Trovatore, Ivor Gurney, Janis Paige, Jodie Devos, John Dryden, John Fletcher, John Luther Long, Johnny Green, Josef Gregor, Julius Korngold, Karan Armstrong, La jolie fille de Perth, La vida breve, Laurence Equilbey, Le nozze di Figaro, Lohengrin, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lucine Amara, Madama Butterfly, Manuel de Falla, Margaret Cable, Maria di Rohan, Max Rudolf, Miguel Gómez-Martínez, Nicolas Krüger, Paul Schott, Peter Phillips, Peter Warlock, Philip Heseltine, Pierre Beaumarchais, Reinhard Peters, Richard Bonynge, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Robert Sour, Rosemary Barnes, Roy Campbell, Ruth Hesse, Salvadore Cammarano, Sanda Şandru, Sesto Bruscantini, St John of the Cross, The Little Sweep, The Tallis Scholars, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Scott, William Mathias, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Today on Countermelody is the first of two memorial episodes paying tribute to singers that we’ve lost just in the past few months. Applying the completely arbitrary rubric of gender, today I am focusing on sopranos (with two mezzo-soprano interlopers); my next episode will carry the memorial torch for all the male singers who’ve recently died. Today’s subjects ranged in age from only 35 to nearly 102 at the time of their deaths, and from Broadway star to early music singer: Jodie Devos, April Cantelo, Lucine Amara, Celestina Casapietra, Christine Weidinger, Elena Mauti Nunziata, Deborah Roberts, and Sanda Şandru; lower-voiced interlopers include Janis Paige, Margaret Cable, and Ruth Hesse. If you know some of these names, you know that you will be some mellifluous serenading; if you don’t, prepare yourself for a wide range of music from Renaissance polyphony to American pop standards, with operatic selections ranging from Donizetti to Falla.

Episode 292. Ian Partridge Revisited

September 24, 2024Art Song, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Schubert, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century MusicAlfred Hepworth, Andrew Pearmain, Anner Bylsma, Arnold Bax, Benjamin Britten, Benjamin Kennard, C. Armstrong Gibbs, Carl Maria von Weber, Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, Christopher Wellington, Clifford Benson, David Parkhouse, Dennis Nesbitt, Dietrich Kessler, Fiona MacLeod, Francis Pilkington, Franz Mayrhofer, Franz Schubert, George Malcolm, Gerald Finzi, Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt, Henri Duparc, Henry Purcell, Hilaire Belloc, Ian Partridge, Ivor Gurney, Jaap Schröder, Jakob Lindberg, James Atkins, Jean Lahore, Jennifer Partridge, Jillian Amherst, John Dowland, John Keats, John Pritchard, Joseph von Eichendorff, Jukka Savijok, Karl Gottfried von Leitner, Konrad Ragnossig, Len Vorster, Lennox Berkeley, Lord Berners, Louis Spohr, Ludwig Tieck, Margaret Field-Hyde, Matthäus von Collin, Michael Dussek, Nancy Neild, Nicholas Busch, Peter Warlock, Philip Heseltine, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Richard Dering, Robert Bridges, Robert Schumann, Stanley Hoogland, Thomas Dekker, Varier Cardnell, Vera Beths, Walter de la Mare, Wilfred Gibson, William Fuller, William Sharpcountermelody

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David and I leave tomorrow on a short jaunt to London, my first visit there in absolute ages. As a result, I have had my favorite British singers very much in mind. In 2023, the quintessential British tenor Ian Partridge celebrated his 80th birthday, and in hono(u)r of that occasion, I produced a pair of Countermelody episodes in tribute to his exquisite artistry. Today’s episode is a refashioning of the bonus episode I produced at that time, which I entitled “Evening with Partridge,” since all of the selections reference evening or nighttime in some fashion, with additional emphasis on the themes of moonlight and The Wanderer. One might also note how the clarity of Partridge’s voice and the precision of his diction make a marvelous contrast with the half-shades of the evening. I have put together an episode which features all types of song, in musical styles from Baroque to contemporary: orchestral song, songs with guitar and lute accompaniment, and art songs with piano in English, German, and French, one of them even self-accompanied! May this episode also bring joy and satisfaction to my devoted listeners and supporters, and encourage you to further explore this esteemed gentleman, one of my favorite singers of all time.

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 212. Ian Partridge

August 31, 2023Art Song, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Schubert, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century MusicArnold Bax, Arnold Schoenberg, Benjamin Britten, Brian Etheridge, Bruno Turner, Charles Spinks, Christopher Bishop, Christopher Wilson, Claudio Monteverdi, Colin Davis, Colin Tilney, David Willcocks, Detlev von Liliencron, Edward Shanks, Eric Crozier, Ernest Ansermet, Franz Schubert, Fredegond Shove, Frederick Delius, George Frideric Handel, Georges Bizet, Grayston Burgess, Hector Berlioz, Heinrich Schütz, Henry Purcell, Hermannus Contractus, Hugh Bean, Ian Partridge, Ivor Gurney, Jakob Lindberg, James Griffett, Janet Craxton, Jennifer Partridge, Jill Gomez, Johann Mayrhofer, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Jürgen Jürgens, Kevin Smith, Les Troyens, Louis Halsey, Michael Dussek, Moritz Horn, Nigel Rogers, Norman Walker, Ottavio Rinuccini, Paul Beier, Peter Warlock, Philip Heseltine, Philip Sidnely, Pierre Boulez, Pro Cantione Antiqua, Prunella Scales, Queen Victoria, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Richard Burnett, Roger Norrington, Russell Burges, Saint Nicolas, The Fairy Queen, Thomas Beecham, Thomas Betterton, Thomas Campion, Thomas Ford, Walter Scott, William Byrd, William Hunt, William Shakespearecountermelody

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Ian Partridge, the quintessential English lyric tenor, celebrated his 85th birthday in June. I may be a few weeks late in celebrating that event, but my enthusiasm and admiration for this singer has remained at a consistent level ever since I first discovered his voice on a recording of songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Partridge, in fact, has left a vast recorded legacy, including work as both a solo concert artist and recitalist and as a member of such distinguished choral groups as Pro Cantione Antiqua, the Wilbye Consort, and the Louis Halsey Singers. His solo repertoire ranged from 11th century plainsong to the thornier musical 20th century idioms of Schoenberg and Britten. This episode samples the vast array of that recorded legacy, including examples from the Baroque period by Bach, Schütz, Handel, and Monteverdi; through art songs by Schubert, Brahms, Fauré, Bax, Gurney, and Warlock. We also hear him live from Covent Garden in his sole operatic role, the Carthaginian poet Iopas in Berlioz’s Les Troyens, and in lute songs and consort music by Campion and Byrd. In all these performances the voice is produced with such ease, the tone so pure and ethereally beautiful, yet never faked or “finessed,” while the interpretations themselves, no matter the musical style, are full of depth, integrity, and subtlety. Here is an enormously satisfying artist who embodies integrity and dedication to his craft. Guest stars include Jill Gomez, Nigel Rogers, Pierre Boulez, Benjamin Britten, Colin Davis, Ernest Ansermet, Norman Walker, Prunella Scales, and the tenor’s sister, pianist Jennifer Partridge, with whom he gave over 400 song recitals.

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 161. Janet Baker: Subject of the Queen

September 9, 2022Art Song, Bel canto, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Schubert, Twentieth Century MusicAlceste, Alexander Gibson, Benjamin Britten, Charles Mackerras, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Franz Schubert, Gaetano Donizetti, Gloriana (Britten), Hector Berlioz, Henry Purcell, Ivor Gurney, Janet Baker, Joan Cross, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Pritchard, La Mort de Cléopâtre, Maria Stuarda, Martin Isepp, Matthäus von Collin, Neville Marriner, Paul Hamburger, Pauline Tinsley, Raymond Leppard, William Plomercountermelody

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The world changed yesterday with the death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose subjects in the United Kingdom just this summer celebrated the 70th year of her reign. How do I, as a progressive (and non-British) person, neither a royalist nor an imperialist, commemorate her passing with the respect that she deserves? I found my answer, as I so often do in other of life’s conundrums, in the artistry of Janet Baker, who celebrated her 89th birthday on 17 August, and who, in her day was often known as “the English Rose.” There is something about Baker’s artistic personality: her nobility of utterance, her gravitas, her humanity, that made her a particularly striking interpreter of various queens in the operatic literature, from Alceste and Dido to Mary Stuart. And because, from the time of her Carnegie Hall debut in 1966 until her final appearance there in 1989, seven years after her official retirement from the operatic scene, she was a fixture of the New York concert scene, she also fits quite comfortably into the framework of this summer’s celebration of musical life in New York between the years 1950 and 1975. Her towering operatic performances of roles by Gluck, Donizetti, Berlioz, and Purcell, are balanced with her profoundly moving performances of music by Bach, Gurney, and Schubert. Queen Elizabeth II is further memorialized by an excerpt from the world premiere performance of Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana, composed for, and premiered six days after, her coronation in 1953.

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.