Tag Archives: Julie Andrews

Episode 190. Make Your Own Kind of Music: Verdi Edition

March 31, 2023Bel canto, Comic Relief, Giuseppe Verdi, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, Queer Pride, Singers in Old Age, Voiceless WondersAida, Alberto Paoletti, Alternate Universe Bel Canto, Barry Mann, Cass Elliot, Cynthia Weil, Domingos Monteiro, Gino Sarri, Giuseppe Verdi, Grazi Barbosa, Howard Salat, Il Trovatore, Joe Raposo, Julie Andrews, La forza del destino, La Puma Opera Company, La Traviata, Luigi Ricci, Make Your Own Kind of Music, Mari Lyn, Natalia de Andrade, Olive Middleton, Sylvia Sawyer, The Golden Treasury of Song, The Howard Salat Quartet Local 802, Un ballo in maschera, Wingcountermelody

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It’s time for my fourth annual April Fools Day episode! The first one that I published exactly four years ago, entitled Alternate Universe Bel Canto, has proven to be one of my most popular, and one that was the gateway episode for many of my most devoted listeners. Furthermore, this one came specifically at the request of one of my newest Patreon supporters (hint, hint to those of you who are not yet supporting the podcast there!) Instead of an overview of all those “outsider music” opera singers out there, I have chosen to focus in on three sopranos in particular whom I find to be the most original, entertaining: Mari Lyn (AKA Marilyn Sussman), Olive Middleton (AKA Olive Townend), and Natália de Andrade. Each of these women created her own platform. Mari Lyn was the Singing Hostess of the 1980s New York-based cable network series The Golden Treasury of Song. After a career in the 1920s singing roles such as Musetta under Thomas Beecham at Covent Garden, British soprano Olive Middleton became, much later in life, the lead diva of New York’s La Puma Opera Company, giving quixotic performances with that company well into her seventies (and well past her vocal expiration date!), performances that gained her a fanbase that included lead singers of the Metropolitan Opera as well as the fussiest of opera queens. And the Portuguese soprano Natália de Andrade (my favorite!) gained fame and notoriety in her native country and beyond for her self-financed recordings, particularly the late-career ones published in the 1980s, which gained her the grudging respect given to those most deluded of holy fools. And lest one think that this episode deals only with sopranos, I also give a nod to the raucous-voiced American mezzo-soprano Sylvia Sawyer, who appeared in the 1950s on complete opera recordings issued on the Capitol Records label and produced, incredibly, under the auspices of the Rome Opera. To be clear: though I find each of these deluded divas to be, each in her own distinctive way, hilarious, in the end, each of them earns my respect for her enterprising undertakings, her firm belief in her own talent, and her unique approach to tuning, phrasing, and language, here perpetrated exclusively on the music of Giuseppe Verdi, who must surely be turning over in his grave right about now!

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 65: 1935 (HB2U, Mommie Dearest!)

December 13, 2020African American Singers, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Happy Birthday, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop IconsAdelaide Hall, Alberta Hunter, Alexander Smallens, Allan Jones, Allie Wrubel, Andre Previn, Anne Brown, Arthur Freed, Benny Goodman, Bessie Smith, Bette Davis, Billie Holiday, Bob Merrill, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Celina Lindsley, Cole Porter, Comedian Harmonists, Connee Boswell, Connie Boswell, Der Kuhhandel, Diahann Carroll, Don Reid, Eberhard Büchner, Edith Piaf, Elisabeth Welch, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Erich Korngold, Ethel Merman, Fats Waller, Frank De Vol, Fred Astaire, Fred E. Ahlert, George Gershwin, Gerd Albrecht, Giorgio Tozzi, Grace Moore, Gretchen Cryer, Harold Arlen, Helen Ward, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Ivor Novello, Jacques Dalin, Jan-Latham König, Jerome Kern, Jerry Orbach, Johnny Mathis, Joséphine Baker, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Kurt Weill, Lehman Engel, Leo Robin, Libby Holman, Lloyd Arriola, Lorenz Hart, Lucienne Boyer, Marguerite Monnot, Marlene Dietrich, Max Reinhardt, Michael Feinstein, Mischa Spoliansky, Mort Dixon, Nacio Herb Brown, Nancy Ford, Nat King Cole, Noël Coward, Patsy Montana, Paul Robeson, Pinocchio, Porgy and Bess, Ralph Rainger, Richard Rodgers, Richard Whiting, Robert Vambery, Ruby Elzy, Rudy Vallee, Ruth Etting, Todd Duncan, Xavier Cugat, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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This coming Saturday, December 19, is an important day for my family: it’s my mother Jane’s 85th birthday. To pay tribute to this event, and to this very special woman, I’m presenting a program focusing on the year 1935, and important milestones in film, musicals, and the hit parade. There was such a dizzying variety of musical material in this year that it was challenging to organize, but I focus on young artists who were just entering the scene (Judy Garland, Carmen Miranda, and Édith Piaf) to émigrés to and from America (including Marlene Dietrich, Paul Robeson, Joséphine Baker, Kurt Weill, Elisabeth Welch, and Erich Korngold), to Broadway shows that debuted in that year (in performances by, among others, Ethel Merman, Libby Holman, and Nat King Cole). Along the way I pay particular focus to what was, in retrospect, the most important Broadway event of the year, the premiere of Porgy and Bess. From that show, I present performances by Todd Duncan, Anne Brown, and Ruby Elzy, all of whom created their roles. I also examine the “Latin” influence on US culture from artists like Xavier Cugat, Carlos Gardel, and Miranda, and of the enormous cultural impact (in spite of repression and discrimination) that African American artists were making (Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Alberta Hunter, Fats Wallter, and Adelaide Hall.) Finally I look at musicians who were also born in 1935 who made their mark in subsequent decades in a wide variety of styles (including Johnny Mathis, Julie Andrews, Diahann Carroll, Elvis Presley, Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer, and Jerry Orbach). This is not to forget figures ranging from Ruth Etting to Grace Moore to Fred Astaire to Patsy Montana to Allan Jones to Noël Coward to Benny Goodman to Lucienne Boyer to the Comedian Harmonists to Bette Davis. Please join me in celebrating all these artists, and in wishing my mother a very Happy Birthday!

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

Episode 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.