Tag Archives: Johannes-Passion

Episode 405. Rescue Mission (Belated Birthday Edition)

October 24, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Richard Strauss, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Sylvia Sass, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAdam Mickiewicz, Adolphe Jaime, Aida, Alec Wilder, Alexander Pushkin, Allen Rogers, Andrzej Hiolski, Ángel de Saavedra, Angelo Anelli, Antonino Votto, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Apollon Maykov, April Cantelo, Auguste Mariette, Borislav Ivanov, Carol Neblett, Charles Baudelaire, Charles Wadsworth, Claude Debussy, Dalton Baldwin, Dave Wolpe, David Rendall, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Elly Ameling, Emanuel Schikaneder, Ernest Lush, Ethel Ennis, Étienne Tréfeu, Francesco Maria Piave, François Coppée, Franz Schreker, Fryderyk Chopin, Fulvio Vernizzi, Gabriele Ferro, Geneviève de Brabant, Gerard Souzay, Gioachino Rossini, Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Gladys Shelley, Gloria Davy, Guido Menasci, Hector Crémieux, Heinrich Schütz, Helmuth Rilling, Hermann Schroeder, Ilse Wolf, Jacques Offenbach, Jennie Tourel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes-Passion, John Pritchard, Karl Friedrich Henckell, Klaus Martin Ziegler, L’italiana in Algeri, La forza del destino, Lorenzo da Ponte, Malcolm Williamson, Marcel Cariven, Margaret Marshall, Maureen Lehane, Milton Kaye, Morty Palitz, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Peter Maag, Pietro Mascagni, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Massard, Rosanna Carteri, Sarah Reese, Sergiusz Nadgryzowski, Shannon Bolin, Stuart Burrows, Sylvia Sass, Temistocle Solera, Veronica Tyler, William Engvick, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zanettocountermelody

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Today’s episode is the latest installment in my series entitled “Rescue Mission,” which reintroduces great singers who have already been featured on the podcast. This is the Belated Birthday edition of that series, which reintroduces us to a wide range of Countermelody favorites, including jazz singer Ethel Ennis; baritones Robert Massard, Gérard Souzay, and Andrzej Hiolski; sopranos Sylvia Sass (pictured), Veronica Tyler, April Cantelo, Elly Ameling, Gloria Davy, Margaret Marshall, Rosanna Carteri, Sarah Reese, Ilse Wolf, and Carol Neblett; mezzo-sopranos Jennie Tourel, Maureen Lehane, and Shannon Bolin; and tenors David Rendall and Stuart Burrows. The repertoire is as varied and rare as are the artists featured, including songs by Rimsky-Korsakov, Chopin, Malcolm Williamson, and Alec Wilder; opera arias by Schreker, Mozart, Mascagni, and Verdi; and selections by Bach and Schütz. I love doing this kind of episode, because it allows me to cast my net wide and share with you the kinds of singers and repertoire that are bringing me comfort and joy in these trying times.

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 author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 400. Meet Ilse Wolf

October 6, 2025Art Song, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Wagner, Schubert, Singers in Old Age, Voiceless WondersApril Cantelo, Bernard Rose, Carlo Milanuzzi, Christian Friedrich Henrici, Claudio Monteverdi, Clemens von Brentano, Das Liebesverbot, Eduard Mörike, Edward Downes, Ernest Lush, Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, Friederike Robert, Friedrich zu Stolberg-Stolberg, Geraint Jones, Gerald English, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Gottfried Keller, Hans Schmidt, Hugo Wolf, Ilse Wolf, Janet Baker, Johann Mayrhofer, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johannes Brahms, Johannes-Passion, Joseph von Spaun, Karl Klingemann, Klaus Groth, Ludwig Hölty, Ludwig Tieck, Marianne von Willemer, Martin Isepp, Matthäus von Collin, Ottavio Rinuccini, Pablo Casals, Picander, Raymond Leppard, Richard Wagner, Robert Franz, Robert Schumann, St. John Passioncountermelody

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German-British soprano Ilse Wolf (07 June 1921 – 06 September 1999) was another fine lyric soprano active primarily in Britain from the 1950s through the early 1980s. One of the reasons she is remembered today is because she recommended a very young Janet Baker to her own teacher, Helene Isepp, which began a long association between the two which lasted until Isepp’s death in 1968. But Wolf was a fine singer in her own right and was a particularly cogent and expressive singer of Lieder as well as Baroque music. My listeners may remember that during Holy Week this year I played a live recording of Wolf singing the Johannes-Passion under the baton of Pablo Casals. I knew of Wolf because she is the soprano on a delightful 1967 recording of Monteverdi madrigals led by Raymond Leppard. In 1969 she also made a delightful recording of Lieder, her one solo disc, with Martin Isepp, Helene Isepp’s son and also an early collaborator of Janet Baker’s. I decided to scour the interwebs to see what other Ilse Wolf material I could come up with to feature her in her own episode. The answer, beyond these few examples, is: not much, but there were a few additional choice items, and in listening and relistening to the Lieder recording in particular, I discovered that Ilse Wolf was a very fine interpreter, indeed. Her life story is also a compelling one, and I’m privileged to share it (and her delectable singing) with my beloved listeners.

Episode 380. Hermann Prey Sings Bach

July 28, 2025Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers in Old AgeChristmas Oratorio, Elly Ameling, Eugen Jochum, Friedrich-Wilhelm Tebbe, Helmut Winschermann, Hermann Prey, Ich habe genug, Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes-Passion, Karl Münchinger, Karl Richter, Konrad Ragossnig, Kurt Kalmus, Kurt Thomas, Liviu Varcol, Matthäus-Passion, Maurice André, Saschko Gawriloff, St. John Passion, St. Matthew Passion, Weihnachtsoratorium, Willy Gerlach, Wolfgang Gönnenwein, Yehudi Menuhincountermelody

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The esteemed, indeed beloved, German baritone Hermann Prey died seventeen years ago already on July 22, 1998. I want to remember him today by celebrating a cornerstone of his repertoire: the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. I’ve been playing a lot of Bach recently on the podcast, as his music is one of the few lifelines that I can rely upon in the chaos of today’s world. But I’ve been focusing in large part on contraltos performing his music which leaves an entire repertoire insufficiently explored. I’m not sure why (although I could hazard a guess) why Prey’s significance has been downplayed as certain other historical German baritones (IYKYK!) are overvalued and over-represented. Prey had a voice of profound beauty and power, a technical security that is sometimes mind-boggling, a mellifluous legato combined with a refined connection to the supremacy of the word (even – and especially – in Bach), but above all, a humanity and humility that make his performances and recordings of this repertoire unmatched (and possibly unmatchable). Represented are individual arias from the cantatas and Passions as well as a complete late-career performance of Ich habe genug, my favorite among Bach’s supreme masterpieces.

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 or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 349. Lenten Melody

April 10, 2025Art Song, Canadian Singers, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Holiday Music, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Richard Wagner, Singers in Old Age, Voiceless WondersAlbert de Klerk, Alfred Zighera, Alfreda Hodgson, Ambrose Gauntlett, Antonín Dvořák, Benjamin Britten, Camille Maurane, Cesar Franck, Charles Gounod, Daniel Pinkham, Das Marienleben, Elly Ameling, Erich Itor Kahn, Felix Mendelssohn, François Couperin, Françoise Pollet, Gundula Janowitz, Hans Knappertsbusch, Heinz Hoppe, Hendrik Andriessen, Henri Büsser, Henri Ghéon: Miroir de Peine, Henry Purcell, Hugues Cuenod, Ilse Wolf, Jacques Mercier, Jean Luce, Jennie Tourel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes-Passion, John Donne, John Shirley-Quirk, Jon Vickers, Joseph Haydn, Kurt Masur, Laszlo Heltay, Lotte Lehmann, Marcel Journet, Marie-Claire Alain, Martin Isepp, Michael Tippett, Pablo Casals, Parsifal, Paul Hindemith, Paulus (Mendelssohn), Pelham Humfrey, Peter Pears, Picander, Rafael Kubelik, Rainer Maria Rilke, Richard Verreau, Richard Wagner, Sena Jurinac, Stabat Mater, Walter Bergmann, William Fullercountermelody

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I’ve already done a Lententide episode devoted to contraltos singing the music of Bach, but it seemed to me that in the upheaval of today’s vengeful and war-hungry world, we could use another contemplative episode to provide us with meditative (and even tuneful!) music to calm our spirits. The tunefulness comes especially from recordings of favorite religious music by Gounod, Franck, and other 19th-century French composers sung by Camille Maurane, Marcel Journet, Richard Verreau, and Françoise Pollet. Also included are a live excerpt from Parsifal with Jon Vickers and Hans Knappertsbusch; the miraculous yet voiceless Hugues Cuénod performing an excerpt from the first of Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres; the unsung German-British soprano Ilse Wolf in a live performance of the Bach Johannes-Passion conducted by Pablo Casals; Gundula Janowitz in a searing but brief aria from Mendelssohn’s Paulus; excerpts from settings of the Stabat Maters of Haydn and Dvorák, sung by Alfreda Hodgson, Sena Jurinac, and Heinz Hoppe; the original version of Hendrik Andriessen’s exquisite Miroir de Peine cycle for voice and organ featuring our beloved Elly Ameling; and Jennie Tourel in an excerpt from her ultra-rare recording of Hindemith’s Das Marienleben preceded by Lotte Lehmanns’s recitation of the same Rilke poem. The episode begins and ends with realizations by Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett of Baroque masters Henry Purcell and Pelham Humfrey sung, respectively, by Peter Pears and John Shirley-Quirk.

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 or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 345. A Lenten Litany of Bach Contraltos

March 28, 2025African American Singers, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Holiday Music, Johann Sebastian Bach, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers in Old Age, Singers of ColorAdolf Bruck, Aldo Baldin, Alfreda Hodgson, Anna Reynolds, Arleen Augér, Birgit Finnilä, Brigitte Fassbaender, Carol Brice, Carolyn Watkinson, Charles O’Connell, Christian Friedrich Henrici, Craig Smith, Daniel Saidenberg, Diethard Hellmann, Easter Oratorio, Elena Obraztsova, Else Brems, Friedel Beckmann, Günther Ramin, György Lehel, Helmut Winschermann, Helmuth Rilling, Jennie Tourel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes-Passion, John Newmark, Julia Hamari, Karl Richter, Kathleen Ferrier, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Marian Anderson, Matthäus-Passion, Mogens Wöldike, Norma Lerer, Osteroratorium, Peter Schreier, Philip Ledger, Picander, Ria Bollen, Samuel Mayes, St. John Passion, St. Matthew Passioncountermelody

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Over the course of the past year, I have done a number of episodes on contraltos singing a wide range of material. Toward the end of last year, I did a program on Bach contraltos, which featured just a few of the best (and my favorite) contraltos in this genre. At the time, I had an overflowing cornucopia of material and today I have reorganized and expanded that material to bring you a set of Bach arias particularly appropriate for the Lenten Season. And thus I present to you today, arias from the Passions sung by Julia Hamari, Marian Anderson (pictured), and Friedel Beckmann, but also cantata arias by such eminent contraltos as Kathleen Ferrier, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Carol Brice, Jennie Tourel, Carolyn Watkinson, Ria Bollen, Brigitte Fassbaender, Norma Lerer, Alfreda Hodgson, Birgit Finnilä, Elena Obraztsova (yes, you read correctly!), Anna Reynolds, and Else Brems. Non-contralto guest appearances include Arleen Augér, Peter Schreier, and Aldo Baldin. If you are not a Christian, fear not, for behold, there is much in Bach’s music that draws the listener in on any number of levels, not just (or even primarily) a theological one.

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 or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.