Tag Archives: Les Illuminations

Episode 403. Roberta Alexander In Memoriam

October 18, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Broadway, Crossover, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Honor Your Mentors, In Memoriam, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Spirituals, Twentieth Century Music, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAdolf Heyduk, Adolph Green, Alban Berg, Alec Wilder, Altenberg-Lieder, Andrew Davis, Ángel de Saavedra, Antonín Dvořák, Arthur Rimbaud, Benjamin Britten, Betty Comden, Brian Masuda, Bruce Hubbard, Charles Ives, Claron McFadden, Clifford Shaw, Colenton Freeman, David Porcelijn, David Triestram, Dick Hoogeveen, Du Bose Heyward, Edith Hemenway, Edo de Waart, Elinor Wylie, Francesco Maria Piave, Gabriela Preissová, Gaetano Delogu, Gary Miller, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giulio Cesare, Giuseppe Verdi, Hall Johnson, Hendrik Andriessen, Howard Haskin, Ira Gershwin, James Agee, Janet Williams, Jenůfa, John Dawson, John Greenleaf Whittier, John Henry McKay, John Milton, La finta giardiniera, La forza del destino, Langston Hughes, Laquita Mitchell, Leonard Bernstein, Leos Janacek, Les Illuminations, Loonis McGlohon, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Michael Tilson Thomas, Moses-Ibn-Ezra, Nicola Francesco Haym, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, On the Town, Peter Altenberg, Porgy and Bess, Randall Thompson, Reinild Mees, Riccardo Chailly, Richard Strauss, Roberta Alexander, Samuel Barber, Semyon Bychkov, Spirituals, Tan Crone, The Divan of Moses-Ibn-Ezra, Thomas à Kempis, Undine Smith Moore, Vaughan Schlepp, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zigeunermelodiencountermelody

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This is an episode I never dreamed I would have to produce. But alas, the great Roberta Alexander has unexpectedly departed this earth this past Tuesday evening, on the three-week anniversary of my beloved mother’s death. Listeners to Countermelody know how much I revered her artistry, and how much I valued our special friendship. In fact, just last week as David and I escaped for a few days to the Netherlands for my birthday, I had been in touch with Roberta, hoping that we could see each other, but she was still recovering from a serious illness from last summer that, in the end, proved too much for her heart, no matter how kind and generous it was. I’m reminded that on the same day I published my first all-Roberta episode, in honor of her birthday in 2023, her dear friend and colleague Kenneth Montgomery died, also unexpectedly. Today’s episode is the fifth (but certainly not the last) time that I will honor Roberta, not only the kindest yet most straight-shooting, but also the least pretentious world-class singer I have ever known. For today’s tribute I have chosen music that, begging your indulgence, is for the most part, valedictory. Yet I also sought to foreground both her extraordinary versatility as well as her profound powers of communication, in music ranging from Handel to Bernstein, Mozart to Berg, Wilder to Janácek, all of it gloriously performed. Many of the recordings, as is my wont, are extremely rare, yet at the same time cherishable. There will be a bonus episode this weekend featuring many of the selections that ended up on the cutting room floor today. Roberta may no longer be with us, but on my podcast, she will always be prominently celebrated as the great singer, teacher, mentor, and friend that she was. Requiescat in pace, dear 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 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 386. David Rendall in Memoriam

August 18, 2025Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe VerdiAlexander Borodin, Alexandre Dumas fils, Andrea Leone Tottola, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Arrigo Boito, Arthur Rimbaud, Benjamin Britten, Carlo Franci, Caterino Mazzolà, Charles Gounod, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Cosi fan tutte, Das Lied von der Erde, David Rendall, Der Rosenkavalier, Diana Montague, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die schöne Müllerin, Don Giovanni, Edo de Waart, Erich Leinsdorf, Faust, Francesco Maria Piave, Franco Alfano, Franz Schubert, George Forrest, Giacomo Puccini, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Gioachino Rossini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Hans Bethge, Hans Drewanz, Hector Berlioz, Heinz Wallberg, Henri Murger, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Iphigénie en Tauride, Ivor Bolton, James Levine, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Lennon, John Owen Edwards, Jules Barbier, Kālidāsa, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kismet, La Boheme, La Clemenza di Tito, La Donna del Lago, La leggenda di Sakùntala, La Traviata, Lawrence Foster, Les Illuminations, Li Bai, Lorenzo da Ponte, Luigi Illica, Mark Elder, Max Epstein, Michael Gielen, Michel Carré, Nicolas-François Guillard, Owain Arwel Hughes, Pagliacci, Pietro Metastasio, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Robert Wright, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Silvio Varviso, Simon Boccanegra, Valerie Masterson, Walter Scott, Wilhelm Müller, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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On 21 July, the opera world lost one of its finest tenors, David Rendall, at the age of 76. Rendall began his career in the mid-seventies as a lyric tenore di grazia specializing in bel canto and in the music of Mozart. His voice expanded and deepened over the years to encompass French roles (Des Grieux, Faust, Werther), 19th century Italian repertoire from Rodolfo to Otello, and finally Wagner roles from Lohengrin to Tristan. This episode explores his origins from his earliest recordings made before he ever considered a career in music, to live operatic recordings made between 1975 and 2006. Rendall’s family was a deeply musical one: his wife, Diana Montague, is a legendary mezzo-soprano, and their son Huw Montague Rendall is one of the brightest lights in the present-day operatic firmament. The episode includes Rendall singing song cycles by Britten and Schubert, and operatic rarities by Rossini and Alfano. In all of the music offered, David Rendall’s impeccable technique, patrician musicianship, and deep expressive connection to the music are heard to full effect. His memory will surely be a blessing to all who knew, heard, loved, and admired him. Many thanks to Huw for his advice in the preparation of this episode.

Episode 206. Jerry Hadley

July 18, 2023Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlexander Borodin, Anthony Halstead, Arthur Rimbaud, Benjamin Britten, Candide, Carlo Rizzi, Charles Gounod, Charles Mackerras, Cosi fan tutte, Dawn Upshaw, Die tote Stadt, Die Zauberflöte, Edna Ferber, Elmer Rice, Emanuel Schikaneder, Eric Dalheim, Erich Korngold, Franz Lehár, Frederick Weatherly, Fritz Löhner-Beda, Gaetano Donizetti, George Forrest, Georges Bizet, Giuseppe Verdi, Gualtiero Negrini, Henry Lewis, James Levine, Jay Gorney, Jerome Kern, Jerry Hadley, John Mauceri, John McGlinn, Kismet, Kurt Weill, Langston Hughes, Leonard Bernstein, Les Illuminations, Lorenzo da Ponte, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Gemignani, Paul Knepler, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Richard Bonynge, Richard Wilbur, Robert Shaw, Robert Wright, Ruth Ann Swenson, Scott Bergeson, Seiji Ozawa, Sherman Edwards, Show Boat, Street Scene, William Boughton, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yevgeny Onegin, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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Jerry Hadley (16 June 1952 – 18 July 2007) is regarded by many as the most gifted American lyric tenor of the late 20th century. Last month he would have celebrated his 71st birthday. And today is the sixteenth anniversary of his untimely death. I knew Jerry well in the early 2000s when he was dating one of my best friends. Our friendship developed separately from that: in those years in which he was working at rebuilding his voice and career we worked together on a cross-section of his old and new repertoire. At the time of his death, he was no longer romantically involved with my friend, so he and I had drifted apart. Nevertheless, it hit me very, very hard, and I mourn his loss to this day. On that front, I have quite a few things to say about singers and mental illness, and the ruthlessness, implacability, and heartlessness of a profession which so often chews up the most vulnerable of us and spits them back out. When Jerry was at his best, his art sustained him, but the challenges ultimately became too much for him to face. But this episode is primarily a celebration: my primary objective is to present my friend at his exceptional best, in performances, both live and studio, which celebrate his voice, artistry, and spirit, performances which provided his public with some of the finest tenor singing they would ever hear, in that, or any other, era.

WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS A DISCUSSION OF SUICIDE AND SUICIDAL IDEATION.

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 22. Gloria Davy (Black History Month III)

February 16, 2020African American Singers, BHM2023WK1, Black History Month, MusicA Picnic Cantata, Aida, Al Howard, Anna Bolena, Arnold Gamson, Arthur Gold, Auf dem Kirchhofe, Benjamin Britten, Cavalleria Rusticana, Cesar Franck, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Erich Leinsdorf, Giorgio Favaretto, Giorgio Tozzi, Giuseppe Verdi, Gloria Davy, Gloria Wynder, Henry Purcell, Il Trovatore, James Schuyler, Jess Thomas, Johannes Brahms, Jonas Kulka, Julia Perry, Karl Böhm, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Leontyne Price, Les Illuminations, Man is for the Woman Made, Mareda Gaither, Martha Flowers, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, Mirella Freni, Momenten, Nelly Sachs, New York Philomusica Chamber Ensemble, Nicolai Gedda, O the Chimneys, Paul Bowles, Pierre Mollet, Rébecca (Franck), Robert Fizdale, Sándor Kónya, Sergiu Celibidache, Shulamit Ran, Spirituals, The Magic Flute, Town Hall New Yorkcountermelody

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Today we examine the fascinating and somewhat frustrating career of Gloria Davy (1931-2012). Yet another African American singer who found greater opportunity abroad than in the United States, Davy has the distinction of being the first Black singer to perform the title role of Verdi’s Aida at the Metropolitan Opera, which role served as her debut in 1958. Another early career success came when she replaced Leontyne Price as Bess in an international tour of Porgy and Bess. Her earliest recordings, both live and studio, reveal a voice of uncommon beauty with an interpretive sensitivity to match. A superb musician, Davy also sang contemporary music throughout her career, including important premieres by Hans Werner Henze and Karlheinz Stockhausen. One must ask the question, however, if her voice would have been better served had she not turned to sung Bess and Aida so early in her career, but had instead had access to roles such as Anna Bolena, which she sang brilliantly at Town Hall in New York in 1957. The episode includes a rare airing of Davy’s 1956 album of Spirituals, in arrangements by the lesser-known African American composer Julia Perry and excerpts from her recordings of Shulamit Ran’s O the Chimneys, on poems by Nelly Sachs, and the 1972 revision of Stockhausen’s momentous Momente.

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