Tag Archives: Karl Engel

Episode 445. Simply Radiant: Edith Mathis In Memoriam

March 14, 2026Art Song, Comic Relief, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlexander Zemlinsky, Ariettes oubliées, Armin Rüeger, Barthold Heinrich Brockes, Carl Loewe, Carl Maria von Weber, Claude Debussy, Cord Garben, Der Freischütz, Edith Mathis, Eugen Müller-Dombois, Frank Martin, Friedrich Kind, Friedrich Laun, George Frideric Handel, Gérard Wyss, Gerd Albrecht, Gerhard Naumann, Giambattista Varesco, Gottfried Keller, Hans Franzen, Hans Münch, Heinrich Heine, Helen Donath, Helmut Hucke, Hermann Suter, Hermann Winkler, Honoré de Balzac, Hugo Wolf, Ich bin in mir vergnügt, Il re pastore, Italienisches Liederbuch, Jacob Will, Jean Fournet, Johann August Apel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johannes Brahms, Karl Engel, Kleider machen Leute, Le Laudi di San Francesco d’Assisi, Leo Feld, Leopold Hager, Leopold Ludwig, Maria Tryptichon, Mass in c minor, Massimilla Doni, Myrthen (Schumann), Neun deutsche Arien, Norman Shetler, Othmar Schoeck, Paul Heyse, Paul Verline, Peter Keller, Peter Schneider, Peter Schreier, Pierre Boulez, Pietro Metastasio, Ralf Weikert, Robert Schumann, Rudolf A. Hartmann, Stefania Kaluza, Szenen aus Goethes Faust, Walter Thoene, Wicus Slabbert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Gönnenwein, Wolfgang Schneiderhancountermelody

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Today a belated memorial tribute to the beloved Swiss soprano Edith Mathis, who died in Salzburg thirteen months ago, two days before her 87th birthday. One of the most highly regarded lyric sopranos of the 1960s and 1970s, Mathis began her career in the late fifties, retiring more than 40 years later in 2001. In between she, armed with a radiant, technically secure voice allied with an understated yet powerful musicianship, set the standard for performance of Baroque music, Mozart, and Lieder, in particular. She was the quintessential German soubrette, and as such the best of her generation in roles such as Ännchen in Der Freischütz and Marzelline in Fidelio. Because of her lack of pretention and mannerism, she might sometimes be somewhat undervalued, but her artistic achievement, especially considered as a whole, is equal to any comparable singer of the last century. I have scoured my extensive Mathis collection, as well as the corners of the internet, to bring you as full a musical portrait of Edith Mathis as possible, covering nearly the entirety of her career, and including works by several of her Swiss compatriot composers.

Countermelody is the 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 406. Dan’s Belated Birthday Gals (Soprano Edition)

October 28, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Broadway, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop Icons, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Voiceless WondersAchim von Arnim, Alicia de Larrocha, André Emelianoff, Andrée Esposito, Annie Fullard, Arabella, Arleen Augér, Bela Jenbach, Benita Valente, Canciones amatorias, Clemens Brentano, Colette Herzog, Delia Rigal, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Don Shirley, Donald Voorhees, Edith Mathis, Elizabeth Harwood, Enrique Granados, Erik Werba, Erika Eckert, Erika Köth, Eugène Bigot, Eugène Scribe, Faye Robinson, Francis Poulenc, Frank Bridge, Frank Dempster Sherman, Franz Lehár, Franz Schulz, Genevieve Touraine, Georges Bizet, Georges Jean-Aubry, Gerald Moore, Germain Delavigne, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Gordon Gottlieb, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, Gotthard Arnér, Gustav Mahler, Hans May, Harold Arlen, Hilde Güden, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ignaz Michael Welleminsky, Irmgard Seefried, Jacqueline Bonneau, Jacques Février, Jacques Ibert, Jacques Mars, Jean Sibelius, Jerome Kern, Jill Gomez, Joanna Bassett, Joel Lester, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Constable, John DeMain, Johnny Mercer, Juan Emilio Martini, Judith Blegen, Judith Raskin, Jules Barbier, Jules Laforgue, Karl Böhm, Karl Engel, Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Herrosee, Klaus Groth, Kurt Eichhorn, La Courte Paille, Laura Zaerr, Louise de Vilmorin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Manuel de Falla, Margarete Teschemacher, Martha Flowers, Martin Katz, Mathieu Ahlersmeyer, Matthew Arnold, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Maurice Carême, Melitta Muszely, Merry Peckham, Métamorphoses, Miriam Gideon, Nino [né Michel Jean Verber], Oscar Hammerstein II, Oscar Levertin, Paganini, Pagliacci, Patricia Spencer, Paul Knepler, Persée et Andromède, Pilar Lorengar, Prayers of Kierkegaard, Ralf Gothoni, Richard Strauss, Robert Gilbert, Robert le Diable, Robert Shaw, Robert Stolz, Ronald Roseman, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Samuel Barber, Show Boat, Søren Kierkegaard, St. Louis Woman, Taru Valjakka, Teresa Stratas, Walter Reisch, Zwei Herzen im Dreivierteltaktcountermelody

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The last of my festive potpourri episodes for this, my birthday month, this episode focuses on a favorite vocal range of this opera queen: the soprano voice, in all its variety and glory. Included are such pristine lyric voices as Erika Köth, Benita Valente (who just departed us last weekend, shortly after celebrating her 91st birthday), Judith Raskin, Judith Blegen, Mattiwilda Dobbs, and Edith Mathis, among others; medium- to heavier-weight lyric voices such as Pilar Lorengar, Delia Rigal, Teresa Stratas, Taru Valjakka, Melitta Muszely, and Margarete Teschemacher; and “ambiguous” voices as Arleen Augér, Martha Flowers, Irmgard Seefried, Andrée Esposito, Jill Gomez (pictured), Faye Robinson, Hilde Güden, and Elizabeth Harwood which could, if you’ll pardon the term, “swing both ways,” at least in terms of vocal weight! They perform a wide range of material of material including vocal chamber music by Manuel de Falla and Miriam Gideon; art song by Brahms, Bridge, Poulenc, Beethoven, Bizet, Granados, Sibelius, and Mahler; operetta and musical selections by Arlen, Lehár, Stolz, and Kern; and full-throated operatic selections by Richard Strauss, Jacques Ibert, Leoncavallo, and Meyerbeer. It’s another jam-packed episode guaranteed (in a limited sense) to bring you the full-range of listening pleasure.

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 318. Christmas (Art) Songs, Part Deux

December 22, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Canadian Singers, Forgotten Divas, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Holiday Music, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, Renata Scotto, Richard Strauss, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAlbert Rudhardt, Alice Tegnér, André Grassi, Arne Dorumsgaard, Augusta Holmès, Benjamin Britten, Bohuslav Martinů, Bruno Seidler-Winkler, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Christian Friedrich Schubart, Christian Fürchtegott Gellert, Clifton Helliwell, Das Marienleben, Déodat de Sévérac, Derek Lee Ragin, Donald Sulzen, Douglas Williams, Edith Mathis, Edvard Grieg, Elena Gragera, Elsie Houston, Engelbert Humperdinck, Ernst Hermann Meyer, François Le Roux, Frank Martin, Friedrich Hermann Frey, Genevieve Touraine, Geoffrey Parsons, Gerald Finley, Gerard Souzay, Graham Johnson, Gundula Janowitz, Hans Christian Andersen, Hedwig Humperdinck, Heinrich Heine, Helmut Deutsch, Hermann Prey, Hermann Zilcher, Hinrich Alpers, Holger Drachmann, Hugo Wolf, Irène Aïtoff, Irwin Gage, Jacqueline Bonneau, Jaime Rodríguez Roa, Janet Baker, Jean Sibelius, Jeanna Oterdahl, Jitka Čechová, Jo Dusseldorp, Joaquín Nin, Johannes Brahms, Johannes Robert Becher, John Corigliano, John Gielgud, Jörg Demus, Jorma Hynninen, Josep Colomé, Josep Maria Ferrando, Josep Soler, Karina Gauvin, Karl Engel, Karl Erb, Laura Aikin, Lorenzo Anselmi, Malcolm Martineau, Margaret Rose, Marianne Hirsti, Marika Kobayashi, Martin Greif, Martin Isepp, Martin Luther, Maureen Forrester, Max Reger, Michael Head, Michael McMahon, Michael Raucheisen, Ned Rorem, Nicolai Gedda, Nora Shulman, Norman Shetler, Olaf Bär, Olga Černá, Paul Barthélemy Jeulin, Paul Gravollet, Paul Heyse, Paul Hindemith, Peter Erasmus Lange-Müller, Peter Schreier, Peter Warlock, Philip Heseltine, Philip Langridge, Rainer Maria Rilke, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Renata Scotto, Richard Adeney, Richard Strauss, Richard Verreau, Robert Schumann, Roger VIgnoles, Ruben Liljefors, Rudi Stephan, Rudolf Jansen, Russell Oberlin, Sarah Walker, Simon Keenlyside, Sophie Wyss, Sten Byriel, Steuart Bedford, Tauno Äikää, Tehila Nini Goldstein, Tom Brand, Tom Krause, Ulrich Stærk, Viktor Rydberg, Walter Olbertz, William M. Hoffman, Yvette Guilbert, Zacharias Topeliuscountermelody

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A final offering of Christmas music on Countermelody this year, but far be it from me to rehash the usual Christmas carols! Absolutely not! In this episode I offer a follow-up to an episode posted years ago featuring Christmas-themed art song. Expect the unexpected (including a big helping of 20th Century selections by Britten, Hindemith, Martinů, Rorem, and Corigliano), alongside selections from our favorite Romantic and post-Romantic composers (Brahms, Schumann, Reger, Grieg, and Strauss). Singers include Gundula Janowitz, Hermann Prey, Maureen Forrester, Edith Mathis, Karl Erb, Janet Baker, Peter Schreier, Tom Krause, and Nicolai Gedda, among many, many others. Happy Holidays to all my fans and supporters!

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 171. November Birthday Gals

November 18, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Canadian Singers, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Operetta, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAllen Rogers, Amelita Galli-Curci, André Kostelanetz, Andre Previn, Aniara (Blomdahl), Barbara Hendricks, Béla Bartók, Beverly Wolff, Bonnie Bramlett, Bonnie Raitt, Caterina Mancini, Chi Coltrane, Delaney Bramlett, Dora Leen, Dory Langdon Previn. kd lang, Emmerich Kálmán, Emmi Varasdy, Erik Linegren, Federico García Lorca, Felix Mendelssohn, Fernando Previtali, Francis Poulenc, Franz Schreker, Genevieve Touraine, Gerald Moore, Giuseppe Verdi, Gräfin Mariza, Harawi, Harry Martinson, Heinrich Heine, Henry Bishop, Irwin Gage, Jackson Browne, Jacques Offenbach, Joan Sutherland, Joaquín Valverde, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Prine, Joni Mitchell, Julia Hamari, Karl Engel, Karl-Birger Blomdahl, Kjerstin Dellert, La battaglia di Legnano, Lawrence Foster, Leon Russell, Louis Spohr, Lucia Popp, Malcolm Martineau, Mária Basilides, Maria Stader, Marie-Madeleine Petit, Marietta Simpson, Maurice Ravel, Michèle Command, Ned Rorem, Olivier Messiaen, Pierrette Alarie, Richard Bonynge, Robert Shaw, Salvatore Cammarano, Saramae Endich, Sylvester Stewart, Theodore Roethke, Tina Turner, Victoria de los Angeles, Werner Janssen, William Walton, William Wordsworth, Yvonne Kenny, Zoltán Kodálycountermelody

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Tomorrow morning I leave for three weeks and I’ve been desperately trying to come up with topics that would be a bit easier to produce while I’m away. What could be easier than birthdays for this month and next? Well… leave it to your intrepid producer to make that as complicated as it could be. But there’s a good reason: so many exceptional singers have birthdays this month and next! In fact, November is so chock full of such artists that I decided to focus exclusively on the Birthday Girls. And what a lineup! Iconic divas like Joan Sutherland and Victoria de los Ángeles; tragically short-lived singers like Saramae Endich and the beloved Lucia Popp; forgotten artists like Kjerstin Dellert, Caterina Mancini, and Geneviève Touraine; exceptional Black artists like Barbara Hendricks and Marietta Simpson: all are represented. And let’s not forget the pop divas, both celebrated (Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt), and less well-remembered (Chi Coltrane, Bonnie Bramlett). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. So lift a glass, cut a piece of Geburtstagkuchen, and tune in to Countermelody in celebration of these exceptional women! [n.b. This episode was posted before the death of Ned Rorem, who will be properly commemorated in next week’s 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.