Tag Archives: Karol Szymanowski

Episode 495. A Birthday Potpourri II (Sneak Preview Edition)

October 15, 2026African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Black History Month 2026, Bubbles on the Nile, Countertenors, Ein Opernabend mit..., Forgotten DivasAdriana Maliponte, Agostino Steffani, Alfred Jerger, Alfredo Silipigni, Alkman, Amor vien dal destino, André Emilianoff, Andrea Maffei, Ángel de Saavedra, Arabella, Cesar Franck, Charles Gounod, Charles Ives, Clemens Krauss, Constantine Cassolas, Daniel Gundlach, Die Macht des Schicksals, Erik Sædén, Francesco Maria Piave, Franz Werfel, Frederick Hammond, Giuseppe Verdi, Halina Łukomska, Hans Udo Müller, Heinz Fricke, Hilda Harris, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Iris, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Jean Sibelius, Jerzy Sulikowski, Joan Tower, Joaquin Rodrigo, Joel Lester, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, John Angelo Messana, John Bröcheler, John Keats, Joséphine-Blanche Colomb, Karol Szymanowski, Kenneth Montgomery, Kostas Paskalis, La forza del destino, Langston Hughes, Laura Flax, Leonidas Zoras, Les Béatitudes, Luigi Illica, Macbeth, Margaret Bonds, Margarete Teschemacher, Michael Isador, Miriam Gideon, Newell Jenkins, Ortensio Mauro, Parsifal, Patricia Spencer, Paul Hofstede, Pentti Koskimies, Pieśni muezina szalonego, Pietro Mascagni, Reginald Boardman, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Ritva Auvinen, Roland Hayes, Rudolf Jansen, Sandra Browne, Scott Gilmore, Songs of the Lovesick Muezzin, Spas Wenkovv, Sten Envik, Teodoro Llorente, Victor Hugo, Viorica Ursuleac, Virgil, Voices from Elysium, Walther Ludwig, Willis Barnstonecountermelody

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Welcome to the second of my birthday potpourri episodes! I recorded this the day before we left on vacation, in other words, exactly a week ago. The focus this week is on Coming Attractions for the rest of the year and the new season (Season Eight already!) of Countermelody coming in January. We begin with a tribute to Dutch bass-baritone John Bröcheler, who died on September 30 at the age of 81. I have been collecting his recordings for a couple years now and will do a full memorial tribute in the months to come. I’m also planning a series on songs by important twentieth century composers, including Karol Szymanowski (sinuously represented here by Polish soprano Halina Łukomska), Jean Sibelius (powerfully voiced by Finnish soprano Ritva Auvinen) and Miriam Gideon (performed here by the exceptional Greek-American tenor Constantine Cassolas, one of the composer’s favorite collaborators). I’m also planning a special episode on creators of Richard Strauss operas, and as a foretaste we hear an excerpt from Arabella featuring the controversial soprano Viorica Ursuleac and baritone Alfred Jerger. My series of recordings in the Opernabend series on the Eterna label also continues, and the “placeholder” here is Bulgarian heldentenor Spas Wenkoff, heard in an excerpt from Parsifal. I’m also putting together an episode on great German sopranos singing Verdi in German, as represented here by the great Margarete Teschemacher. This will be in tandem with an episode on international Verdi baritones, as exemplified by one of the greatest ever, the Greek Kostas Paskalis. I’ll also be doing individual episodes on singers I’ve been collecting for some time now, including the pathbreaking African American tenor Roland Hayes, the versatile Swedish bass-baritone Erik Sædén, the fearless French-Italian spinto Adriana Maliponte, and two Black mezzos: the velvet-voiced Hilda Harris and the pioneering Trinidadian Sandra Browne. Finally, a pair of episodes paying tribute to the countertenor voice, one entitled “Our Countertenor Forebears,” represented by the heroic-voiced John Angelo Messana. The other, which has been planned and promised for years now as Episode 500, will feature yours truly, Daniel Gundlach, in an episode to be called “Dansplaining,” which will feature sound recordings unearthed from the ashes of my own archives. So, my friends, much to look forward to on Countermelody in the seasons, months, and years to come.

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 446. Christiane Eda-Pierre and Teresa Żylis-Gara: Hyphenated Rarities

March 16, 2026African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Black History Month, Black History Month 2026, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Rescue Mission, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlexander Young, André Grétry, Antonio de Almeida, Carlo Maria Giulini, Christiane Eda-Pierre, David Lloyd-Jones, Der Rosenkavalier, Edgard Varèse, Edith Mathis, Emmerich Kálmán, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, Gianfranco Rivoli, Gilbert Amy, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Hans Thamm, Hugo von Hofmannstahl, Igor Stravinsky, Jan Kasprowicz, Jerzy Marchwiński, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Pritchard, John Sandor, Karl Böhm, Karol Szymanowski, Kazimierz Kord, La jolie fille de Perth, Maurizio Arena, Neville Marriner, Odette Chaynes-Decaux, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss, Roméo et Juliette, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Vittorio Cigna-Santicountermelody

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Two of the greatest and most versatile sopranos of the late 20th century, Christiane Eda-Pierre and Teresa Żylis-Gara, both departed within a year of each other in the early 2020s. They also happened to have hyphenated last names and also both bear certain artistic similarities to last week’s featured artist, Edith Mathis (who also pops up today in a cameo!) Unlike Mathis, both Eda-Pierre and Żylis-Gara were criminally underrecorded, so any material featuring these singers is even more welcome. In this episode I fill in the blanks with some exceptional live and studio recordings of both artists, including exceptionally rare material (among them a 1967 recording of Christiane Eda-Pierre singing Offrandes by Edgard Varèse and a 1973 air check of Bizet’s La jolie fille de Perth; Teresa Żylis-Gara in 1966 singing an excerpt in Polish from Emmerich Kálmán’s Gräfin Mariza and a 1977 studio recording of an early Karol Szymanowski song cycle). At least six of the recordings featured are simply not currently available anywhere else on the internet and all selections reveal both of these exceptional sopranos at the peak of their achievement. I’ll see you at the end of the week with a brand-new episode.

Episode 411. Orchestral Song [International Edition]

November 15, 2025Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Canadian Singers, Forgotten Divas, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Rescue Mission, Twentieth Century MusicAlexander Zemlinsky, Aminollah Hossein, Andréa Guiot, Andrzej Markowski, Antonio Rubino, Ben Glassberg, Bernard Kruysen, Bohuslav Martinů, Canto a Sevilla, Cinco canciones negras, Combat del somni, Coral Island, Dagmar Pecková, Deità silvane, Dorothy Dorow, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Emanuel Lešehrad, Fartein Valen, Frederic Mompou, Gabriel Suovanen, Gerald Finley, Gottfried Keller, Günter von Kannen, Halina Łukomska, Hannu Lintu, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Jean-Claude Hartemann, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Jiří Bělohlávek, Joaquín Turina, José Muñoz San Román, Josep Janés, Julian Przyboś, Kaija Saariaho, Karol Stryja, Karol Szymanowski, Kazimierz Serocki, Laszlo Heltay, Lebendig begraben, Leif Segerstam, Lyrische Symphonie, Makota Ohka, Marianne Crebassa, Militiades Caridis, Oczy Powietrza, Othmar Schoeck, Ottorino Respighi, Pieśni muezina szalonego, Pilar Lorengar, Rabindranath Tagore, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Rafael Merello, Ralf Weikert, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rie Hamada, Robert Tear, Ryszard Minkiewicz, Saadi Shirazi, Songs of the Lovesick Muezzin, Tōru Takemitsu, Victoria de los Angeles, Walt Whitman, Xavier Montsalvatge, Yuzo Toyama, Zoltan Peskocountermelody

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An old LP of Tōru Takemitsu’s Coral Island and a conversation with a new friend about American Exceptionalism inspired today’s episode, the “International Edition” of my ongoing series on Orchestral Song. Coral Island is still here, although I ended up using a later (and better) recording than the one in my collection. I also feature the work of composers Karol Szymanowski, Augustyn Bloch, Aminollah Hossein, Kaija Saariaho, Frederic Mompou, Ottorino Respighi, Fartein Valen, Bohuslav Martinů, and many others, performed by Gerald Finley, Andréa Guiot, Robert Tear, Dorothy Dorow, Halina Łukomska, Victoria de los Ángeles, Andrzej Hiolski, Bernard Kruysen, and Marianne Crebassa, for starters! I have been enjoying so much preparing these recent “potpourri” episodes, and this one is particularly chock full of surprises and discoveries!

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 140. Universal Passion

April 14, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Canadian Singers, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAdele Addison, Alexander Young, Andrzej Hiolski, Arvo Pärt, August Wenzinger, Barthold Heinrich Brockes, Benjamin Luxon, Brockes-Passion (Handel), Christus am Ölberge (Beethoven), Daniel Pinkham, Das Marienleben, David Willison, Edda Moser, Eduard Mörike, Elzbieta Szmytka, Eric Tappy, Erich Itor Kahn, Ernst Haefliger, Eugen Jochum, Eugene Ormandy, Florence Quivar, Francis Poulenc, Franco Caracciolo, François Couperin, Frank Martin, Franz Crass, Franz Schubert, Friedrich Schlegel, George Frideric Handel, Georges Pretre, Gilbert Kalish, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Golgotha (Martin), Gundula Janowitz, Hannu Holma, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Heinrich Schütz, Henryk Czyz, Herbert von Karajan, Hugo Wolf, Hugues Cuenod, Irmgard Seefried, Irwin Gage, Jan DeGaetani, Jennie Tourel, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Shirley-Quirk, Jorma Hynninen, Judith Raskin, Jukka Vaari, Julius Baker, Karol Szymanowski, Kristina Boerger, Krzysztof Penderecki, Leçons de Ténèbres, Lotte Lehmann, Ludwig van Beethoven, Lukas-Passion (Penderecki), Maria Stader, Maria Triptychon (Martin), Marie-Lise de Montmollin, Matthäus-Passion, Maureen Lehane, Meriel Dickinson, Muriel Smith, Passio (Pärt), Paul Hindemith, Peter Pears, Peter Schreier, Philippe Huttenlocher, Pierre Mollet, Rainer Maria Rilke, Regine Crespin, Richard Lewis, Robert Bloom, Robert Faller, Robert Shaw, Roger Norrington, Rolf Apreck, Rudolf Jürgen Bartsch, Rudolf Mauersberger, Simon Rattle, Spanisches Liederbuch (Wolf), Spirituals, St. John Passion, Stabat Mater (Pergolesi), Stabat Mater (Poulenc), Stabat Mater (Szymanowski), Tauno Satomaa, Teppo Lampela, Theo Adam, Topi Tuuli Lindeberg, Wally Stämpfli, Walter Berry, Wolfgang Schneiderhancountermelody

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For Christians, this week is probably the most central to the theology of their faith, focusing as it does on the story of the Passion of the Christ. My dear friend, the choral conductor and singer Kristina Boerger posted a fascinating meditation this week about her “complicated” relationship with this theology, and how the performance of music for Holy Week over the years has given her insight into some universal tenets about human nature and behavior. She very kindly agreed to read her essay for me to use as the basis of this week’s podcast, which features music written for, and associated with, the Passion. Composers featured include, from the Baroque era, Couperin, Schütz, Handel, and Bach (with Pergolesi right on the cusp); from the 19th century, Beethoven, Schubert, and Wolf; and from the 20th century, Hindemith, Szymanowski, Poulenc, Penderecki, Frank Martin, and Arvo Pärt. Featured singers include Régine Crespin, Irmgard Seefried, Peter Schreier, Gundula Janowitz, Richard Lewis, Florence Quivar, Andrzej Hiolski, Judith Raskin, Jorma Hynninen, Margaret Marshall, Benjamin Luxon, Muriel Smith, Walter Berry, Edda Moser, and Adele Addison, plus further encounters with several of the Swiss singers we explored last week (Hugues Cuénod, Maria Stader, Eric Tappy, Pierre Mollet, and Ernst Haefliger). Whether you are Christian, agnostic, atheist, Muslim, Jew, or fall into a different category altogether, there will be something here for you of value in this episode.

The Countermelody podcast is 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 105. Teresa Żylis-Gara In Memoriam

September 5, 2021Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century MusicAntonín Dvořák, Charles Gounod, Claudio Monteverdi, Don Giovanni, Erik Werba, Faust, Frédéric Chopin, Fritz Lehan, George Frideric Handel, Giacomo Puccini, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Guglielmo Tell, Günther Wich, Halina Czerny-Stefańska, I vespri siciliani, Jacek Kaspszyk, Jacques Delacôte, Jerzy Marchwiński, Johann Sebastian Bach, Karol Szymanowski, Kazimierz Kord, L’incoronazione di Poppea, La Boheme, Lorin Maazel, Otello, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss, Rusalka, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Turandot, Ulrich Weder, Un ballo in maschera, Waldemar Malicki, Wilhelm Ernst, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Gönnenwein, Yevgeny Onegin, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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One of my very favorite singers, the Polish soprano Teresa Żylis-Gara, died on Saturday 28 August at the age of 91. I had been planning a birthday episode dedicated to her next January, but instead I present a heartfelt tribute in memoriam. Over a long career and as her voice developed, Żylis-Gara moved deftly and skillfully from performances of Baroque music through French, Russian, Verdi, and Puccini and even verismo heroines, always with her trademark vocal glamour, technical acuity and musical refinement. I offer live and studio examples of this under-recorded artist, a favorite at the Metropolitan Opera between 1968 and 1984, including early Monteverdi, Bach, and Handel, moving through her career-making assumption of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and touching also on her recital work, and concluding with her definitive performances of Desdemona in Otello and Richard Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder.

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. 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 including artist photos and episode setlists. And please head to my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Twenty-five exclusive bonus episodes are currently available to Patreon supporters.