Tag Archives: John McCormack

Episode 227. A Golden Age Christmas

December 9, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Great Tenors, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Renata Scotto, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century MusicAdolphe Adam, Alexis Contant, Alphonse Daudet, André d’Arkor, André Kostelanetz, Anton Guadagno, Arthur Bergh, Beverly Sills, Cesar Franck, Charles Gilibert, Clarence Dickinson, Dalton Baldwin, Dorothy Maynor, Douglas Gamley, Easthope Martin, Eddie Sauer, Elena Gerhardt, Elisabeth Schumann, Elly Ameling, Elsa Alsen, Erik Werba, Franz Xaver Gruber, Frederick G. Martens, George Frideric Handel, Giovanni Martinelli, Herbert von Karajan, Irmgard Seefried, Joan Sutherland, John Henry Hopkins Jr., John McCormack, Joseph Mohr, Leontyne Price, Lotte Lehmann, Louis H. Redner, Margarete Matzenauer, Martin Boelitz, Max Bloch, Max Reger, Nathaniel Shilkret, Olive Fremstad, Peter Cornelius, Phillips Brooks, Phyllis Curtin, Pietro Yon, Renata Tebaldi, Richard Bonynge, Richard Crooks, Richard Lert, Robert McGimsey, Rosario Bourdoncountermelody

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In the midst of our recent move, I came across a stash of old “mixtapes” (actually CDs and much other archival material. One such item which particularly moved me was one entitled “A Golden Age Christmas 2003” which I handed out to my colleagues and friends twenty years ago. Looking over the tracklist, I realized that this was a sort of early iteration of Countermelody: me sharing music that I particularly loved with people that I cared about. Today’s podcast uses as its basis that same CD (slightly trimmed in length) and features performances by a glorious group of singers ranging from Olive Fremstad, Charles Gilibert, and Margarete Matzenauer from the early years of the twentieth century to such later favorites as Elly Ameling, Beverly Sills, and Leontyne Price. I can’t guarantee that this episode will put you in the holiday spirit, but I sure hope it does!

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 194. Great Mozart Tenors

April 28, 2023African American Singers, Canadian Singers, Great Tenors, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Opera in Translation, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Voiceless Wonders, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlex Banfield, Alfredo Kraus, Anton Dermota, Arthur Goldschmidt, Bernard Haitink, Cesare Valletti, Charles Holland, Charles Mackerras, Claude Génetay, Clemens Schmalstich, Cosi fan tutte, David Rendall, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die Zauberflöte, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Don Giovanni, Emanuel Schikaneder, Ernst Haefliger, Ferdinand Leitner, Ferenc Fricsay, Francisco Araiza, Fritz Wunderlich, Georg Solti, George Shirley, Gerhard Wimberger, Gösta Winbergh, Guido Cantelli, György Fischer, Hans Müller-Kray, Herbert von Karajan, Hermann Jadlowker, Idomeneo, István Kertész, Jeffrey Tate, Jerry Hadley, John Aler, John Alexander, John McCormack, John van Kesteren, Jörg Ewald Dähler, Josef Dünnwald, Joseph Rosenstock, Julius Rudel, Kálmán Pataky, Karl Alwin, Karl Böhm, Karl Erb, La Clemenza di Tito, La finta giardiniera, Le nozze di Figaro, Leontyne Price, Leopold Simoneau, Lorenzo da Ponte, Luigi Alva, Marcel Wittrisch, Margaret Price, Maria Ivogün, Mitridate, Nicolai Gedda, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Otto Ackermann, Peter Schreier, Philip Langridge, Pietro Metastasio, Pilar Lorengar, Richard Tauber, Roberta Alexander, Ryland Davies, Semyon Bychkov, Stuart Burrows, Waldemar Kmentt, Wiesław Ochman, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Zaidecountermelody

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Today’s is a mammoth episode, one of my longest ever, so I suggest you listen to it in easily digestible segments. It’s mammoth because it’s a gigantic subject: great Mozart tenors of the 20th century, covering more than 100 years of recorded documents of the finest examples of tenorial interpretations of the big Mozart operas as well as some of his lesser-known works, including his concert arias. You will be dazzled (and that is a promise and a guarantee) by performances by Fritz Wunderlich (for many of us, the ne plus ultra of lyric tenors), George Shirley, Richard Tauber, Anton Dermota, Léopold Simoneau, Nicolai Gedda, Gösta Winbergh, John McCormack, David Rendall, Peter Schreier, and countless others, including lesser-known figures such as John van Kesteren, Kálmán Pataky, and Wiesław Ochman, and duets featuring Pilar Lorengar, Leontyne Price, Roberta Alexander, and Margaret Price. I also feature a peek into the future with a special salute to the young tenor Alex Banfield, whose work has impressed me enormously. The entire episode is dedicated to the memory of my friend Jerry Hadley, one of the supreme Mozart tenors of all time.

Episode 50. Rogue Tenors (Crossover Classics VI)

August 30, 2020African American Singers, CrossoverAgustín Lara, Ah Sweet Mystery of Life, Al Dubin, Ay ay ay, Beniamino Gigli, Boudleaux and Faye Bryant, Bronislau Kaper, Camille Nickerson, Carlo Bergonzi, Cesare Andrea Bixio, Charles Kullman, Charles Marshall, Dermot Macmurrough, Erich Korngold, Ernesto de Curtis, Fernando de Lucia, Francisco Araiza, Franco Corelli, Fritz Wunderlich, Gene Pitney, Georges Thill, Granada, Hans May, Harry Warren, Hello Mary Lou, Irving Berlin, James Melton, Jan Kiepura, Javier Camarena, Jerry Hadley, John McCormack, Joseph Schmidt, Júrame, Jussi Bjorling, Knut O.W. Almroth, Lao Silésu, Lauritz Melchior, Lennon & McCartney, Leonello Casucci, Love Hurts, Macushla, Mamma, Marcel Wittrisch, María Grever, Miguel Fleta, Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’, Osmán Pérez Freire, Paolo Tosti, Peter Hofmann, René Kollo, Richard Crooks, Richard Tauber, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Roland Hayes, Sammy Fain, Schöner Gigolo [Just a Gigolo], September in the Rain, Tandy MacKenzie, Tito Schipa, Tu ca non chiagne, W.J. Coelho, What’ll I Do?, Yesterdaycountermelody

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Our crossover series continues, this time with a full episode dedicated to more than a century of great tenors singing crossover material, beginning in 1902 with Fernando de Lucia’s recording of “Serenata” by Paolo Tosti . Along the way we observe the evolution of the genre from Victorian ballads through Neapolitan songs and Spanish-tinged material (you have not lived until you have heard Fritz Wunderlich sing “Granada”!); from folk songs and musicals to international film theme songs and popular rock hits. Other featured singers include John McCormack, Richard Crooks, Charles Kullman, Tito Schipa, Carlo Bergonzi, Franco Corelli, Miguel Fleta, Jussi Björling, Roland Hayes, Tandy MacKenzie, Francisco Araiza, Joseph Schmidt, Beniamino Gigli, Marcel Wittrisch, Georges Thill, Richard Tauber, Jan Kiepura, James Melton, Lauritz Melchior, René Kollo, Peter Hofmann, Javier Camarena, and Jerry Hadley. Today’s episode is pure escapism, until you find yourself weeping at the unexpected beauty and pathos of it all.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” Occasional guests from the “business” (singers, conductors, composers, coaches, and teachers) lend their distinctive insights. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available only to Patreon supporters are currently available!

Episode 35. Charm: A Second Helping

May 17, 2020African American Singers, Art Song, Comic Relief, In Memoriam, Needle Drop, OperettaAksel Schiotz, Alan Jay Lerner, Anton Paulik, Brigadoon, Burton Lane, Carl Nielsen, Carl Zeller, Charles Trenet, Conchita Supervia, Danny Kaye, Der Vogelhändler, Don Quichotte à Dulcinée, Dorothy Warenskjold, Dusolina Giannini, Eduardo di Capua, Edwin Schneider, Elisabeth Schumann, Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Logan, Emmerich Kálmán, Enrique Granados, Erich Kunz, Franz Lehár, Frederick Loewe, Fritzi Massary, Gabriel Bacquier, Gilbert & Sullivan, Harold Adamson, Hermann Prey, Hilde Güden, HItting a New High, Im Prater blüh’n wieder die Bäume, Jean Laforge, Jimmy McHugh, Johann Strauss II, John McCormack, Joséphine Baker, Judith Blegen, Julie Andrews, Julius Patzak, Lily Pons, Lois Marshall, Lucia Popp, Lucrezia Bori, Magda Kalmár, Marc Berthomieu, Maria Kurenko, Marta Eggerth, Maurice Ravel, Maxine Sullivan, Müde bin ich geh’ zur Ruh, O Sole Mio, Richard Tauber, Robert Stolz, The Last Rose of Summer, Tito Schipa, Weißt Du wieviel Sternlein stehen, Yip Harburg, Yvonne Printempscountermelody

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Last week we had such an overflowing of vocal, artistic, and personal charm that I was compelled to produce a second episode on the subject with a fresh batch of charmers. We begin the episode with a tribute to Gabriel Bacquier, the iconic French (bass-)baritone who died this past week just four days short of his 96th birthday. I feature him in three rare selections that represent him in repertoire which is a far cry from his operatic roles. I then resume the survey of charm as demonstrated by artists as varied as Conchita Supervia, Joséphine Baker, Hilde Güden, Ella Fitzgerald, Yvonne Printemps, John McCormack, Lois Marshall, Charles Trenet, Lucrezia Bori, Lily Pons, Hermann Prey, Dusolina Giannini, Tito Schipa, Richard Tauber, Julie Andrews, Julius Patzak, Maria Kurenko, Judith Blegen, Danny Kaye, Marta Eggerth, Elisabeth Schumann, Fritzi Massary, Maxine Sullivan, Magda Kalmár, Ella Logan, Dorothy Warenskjold, Aksel Schiøtz, Erich Kunz, and Lucia Popp. Repertoire ranges from operetta (including Franz Lehár in three different languages), folk song arrangements, musicals, art song, pop music, and children’s songs. Amazingly, opera is nowhere to be seen in this episode, but that will certainly change in the next week, when we take up consideration of Charm’s cousin, Glamour.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. 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 interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 14. Christmas Potpourri II: Hard/Try

December 21, 2019African American Singers, Broadway, Full-Figured Baroque, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Pop Icons, Singers of ColorAdeste fideles, Adolphe Adam, After the Holidays, Alice Parker, August von Haxthausen, Augusta Holmès, Brian Sullivan, Cantique de Noël, Cesar Franck, Christmas for the Brokenhearted, Christmas Hymns and Carols Volume 2, Daniel Gundlach, David Shire, Dietrich Bocholtz-Asseburg, Edmund Sears, Eduard Ebel, Eduard Mörike, Eileen Farrell, Farrold Stephens, Firestone Christmas Albums, Fritz Wunderlich, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Henri Contet, Hermann Prey, Hugh Martin, Hugo Wolf, It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, It Must Have Been Love, James Melton, Johannes David Falk, John McCormack, John Meyer, Joni Mitchell, Judy Garland, Le Noel de la Rue, Leise rieselt der Schnee, Leonard De Paur, Little Boy How Old Are You, Lotte Lehmann, Marc Heyral, Maria durch ein Dornwald ging, Mariä Wiegenlied, Marie Frederiksson, Mary Had a Baby, Max Reger, Meet Me in St. Louis, Mel Tormé, Minuit Chrétiens, Noël, Norman Shetler, O Come All Ye Faithful, O du fröhliche, O helga natt, O sanctissima, Panis angelicus, Per Gessle, Peter Schreier, Ralph Blane, René Kollo, Richard Maltby Jr., Richard Storrs Willis, Rita Gardner, River, Robert MacGimsey, Robert Shaw, Robert Shaw Chorale, Robert Wells, Roland Hayes, Roxette, Rudolf Schock, Schlafendes Jesuskind, Schlichte Weisen, Starting Here Starting Now, Still still still, Sweet Little Jesus Boy, tenor, The Christmas Song, The De Paur Chorus, The Leonard De Paur Chorus, Trois anges sont venus du ciel, Vinzenz Maria Süßcountermelody

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Another week of Christmas music! The first part of the episode is a continuation of last week’s All-Tenor Extravaganza. We hear from Farrold Stephens, Luther Saxon, Roland Hayes, James Melton, Brian Sullivan, Richard Crooks, Raoul Jobin, Jussi Björling, Richard Verreau, Fritz Wunderlich (with an assist from Hermann Prey), Rudolf Schock, René Kollo, John McCormack, Peter Schreier, and Mel Tormé (with an assist from Judy herself!) And for those who have ambivalent feelings about this holiday, the second half of the program foregrounds six of my most favoritest Depressing Christmas Pop Songs, sung by Eileen Farrell, Rita Gardner, Joni Mitchell, Edith Piaf, Judy Garland and (in memory of the recently deceased Marie Fredriksson), Roxette. A line from Judy’s song “After the Holidays” (by John Meyer) provides the inspiration to the episode title: “I know it’s hard, but try.”

Countermelody is a new podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. 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 interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please also visit the Countermelody website for updates, additional content, and to pledge your support. www.countermelodypodcast.com