Tag Archives: Manon

Episode 410. Magda Olivero Revisited

November 10, 2025Arie antiche, Art Song, Bel canto, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Richard Wagner, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAbbé Prevost, Adriana Lecouvreur, Alberto Donaudy, Alessandro Stradella, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfonso Gatto, Alfonso Guercia, Arrigo Boito, Bruno Prevedi, Carlo Zangarini, Charles Gounod, Deville (né Alberto Curci), Domenico Oliva, Ermelinda Magnetti, Ernesto Del Priete, Francesco Cilea, Francesco Maria Piave, François-Benoît Hoffmann, Garrick Ohlsson, George Doncieux, Giacomo Puccini, Giosué Carducci, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, Ivan Davis, Johann Sebastian Bach, Jules Massenet, La Boheme, La Traviata, Luigi Cherubini, Luigi Gerussi, Luigi Illica, Magda Olivero, Manon, Manon Lescaut, Marco Praga, Maria Concetta Balducci, Medea, Mefistofele, Nino Porto, Paolo Tosti, Paul Francis Webster, Philippe Gille, Richard Wagner, Sammy Fain, Sesto Bruscantini, Stefano Donaudy, Tristan und Isoldecountermelody

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If we have to live in a world of extremes, I want it to be a world in which Magda Olivero reigns supreme. Her artistry combined both integrity (personal, vocal, and artistic), alongside originality and fearless risk-taking. She was never afraid to go out on a limb and it was this quality (alongside her extraordinary longevity) that endeared her to so many opera lovers. Today I have culled my Olivero collection and combined excerpts from a number of rare albums in my collection with material culled from The Magda Olivero Archives, maintained by Denis Robert, a friend and confidante of Olivero who has made it his life’s work to present the great diva in all her many facets. We hear the great diva in excerpts from Manon Lescaut, Mefistofele, Traviata, Tristan (!), Bohème, Manon, Medea, and Adriana Lecouvreur (probably her most significant role). In addition, I offer up live excerpts from her two Carnegie Hall recitals as well as rare recordings of Italian songs, including an excerpt from her official farewell appearance in 1991 at the age of 81. There was never another soprano even remotely like her, and if she is your cup of tea (as she most emphatically is mine), this episode will provide an exceptional opportunity to revel in many aspects of her artistry.

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 394. Valletti Revisited (French Edition)

September 15, 2025Art Song, Bel canto, French Opera, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Alphonse Daudet, André Theuriet, Armand Silvestre, Bruno Rigacci, Cesare Valletti, Charles Baudelaire, Claude Debussy, Édouard Blau, Francesco Cilea, Gabriel Faure, Georges Hartmann, Gioachino Rossini, Hector Berlioz, Henri Cazalis, Henri Duparc, Henri Meilhac, Jean Lahor, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Joseph Szulc, Jules Massenet, L’Arlesiana, La Betulia liberata, La Donna del Lago, Leconte de Lisle, Leo Taubman, Les nuits d’été, Manon, Mario Rossi, Paul Bourget, Paul Milliet, Paul Verlaine, Philippe Gille, Pierre Monteux, Pietro Metastasio, René Leibowitz, Reynaldo Hahn, Robert de Bonnières, Romain Bussine, Rosalind Elias, Théophile Gautier, Tullio Serafin, Victor Hugo, Victoria de los Angeles, Walter Scott, Werther, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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More than two years and nearly two hundred episodes ago, I published an episode on the great Italian tenore di grazia Cesare Valletti. Today I revisit his recorded legacy, focusing on his prowess in the French repertoire, both in opera and, rather uncharacteristically for an Italian tenor of the era, mélodie. Not only do I present the complete 1965 LP entitled Cesare Valletti Sings French Art Songs, which was his final release on the RCA Victor label, but I supplement that with two fantabulous death scenes from two of Jules Massenet’s most popular operas, Manon (a live 1954 recording pairing Valletti with Victoria de los Angeles at her most memorable), and Werther (a 1962 studio recording of excerpts from the opera featuring Rosalind Elias, the dearly beloved mezzo-soprano of blessed memory.) Valletti once again reveals himself an artist of refined taste, as well as (in the operatic excerpts) a surprisingly powerful and forthright vocal present and (in the song repertoire) an interpreter with superb French diction and exquisite insight into the half-lit atmosphere of the genre.

Episode 388. Sopranos en détresse, Part Deux

August 24, 2025Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Honor Your Mentors, In Memoriam, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAbbé Prevost, Adolphe d’Ennery, Alain Vanzo, Albert Wolff, Alfred Bruneau, Alfred Cortot, Alphonse Daudet, Ambroise Thomas, Anatole France, André Cluytens, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Anton Guadagno, Antonio de Almeida, Arthur Bernède, Beverly Sills, Camille du Locle, Carol Vaness, Charles Chaynes, Charles Gounod, Christiane Eda-Pierre, Édouard Blau, Elgar Howarth, Emerson Buckley, Emma Calvé, Emmanuel Bondeville, Ernest Reyer, Erzsébet (Chaynes), Faust, Félia Litvinne, François-Hippolyte Leroy, Georges Bizet, Georges Tzipine, Gerard Souzay, Germaine Féraldy, Germaine Martinelli, Gustave Flaubert, Hector Berlioz, Henri Cain, Henri Duvernois, Henri Meilhac, Henri Trianon, Ivan IV (Bizet), Jacqueline Brumaire, James Morris, Janine Micheau, Jerry Hadley, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Bröcheler, Jules Barbier, Jules Claretie, Jules Massenet, Julius Rudel, La Navarraise, Le Cid, Les Troyens, Louis Gallet, Lucia Popp, Ludovic Janvier, Madame Bovary, Manon, Michel Carré, Michel Dens, Michel Sénéchal, Mignon, Nelly Miricioiu, Norman Treigle, Patricia Brooks, Philippe Gille, Pierre Corneille, René Fauchois, Salammbô (Reyer), Sapho (Massenet), Sergiu Comissiona, Thaïs, Vicente Sardinero, Virginie (Bruneau), Yolanda Marcoulescoucountermelody

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A few months ago I published the first of a series of episodes honoring “Over the Top Sopranos,” which presented French repertoire performed by a batch of supremely distressed divas. And today is a follow-up, again featuring “sopranos en détresse” in which I spread the net even wider, featuring every type of soprano from perky coloratura to hefty dramatic and everything in between. The characters represented range from reformed Alexandrian courtesans to vampiric Hungarian murderers. And the chronological spread is wide, too: we sample a wide variety of singers from Félia Litvinne, recorded in 1902, to Anna Caterina Antonacci, recorded in 2009. In between we hear, among others, Germaine Féraldy, Beverly Sills, Emma Calvé, Lucia Popp, Christiane Eda-Pierre (pictured), Patricia Brooks, Germaine Martinelli, Jacqueline Brumaire, Carol Vaness, Nelly Miricioiu, and Janine Micheau. Works range from the familiar (Mignon by Thomas, Manon by Massenet, and Faust by Gounod) to the obscure (Ivan IV by Bizet, Salammbô by Ernest Reyer, Erzsébet by Charles Chaynes, and Virginie by Alfred Bruneau). Attachez vos ceintures; ce sera encore une soirée extravagante!

Episode 387. Zauberwelt der Oper [Black Diva Edition]

August 22, 2025African American Singers, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Broadway, Canadian Singers, Comic Relief, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers of ColorAbbé Prevost, Alexander Krannhals, Angelo Anelli, Boris Mersson, Dido and Aeneas, Don Giovanni, Don Pasquale, ETA Hoffmann, Felicia Weathers, Fritz Peters, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Giovanni Ruffini, Giuseppe Giacosa, Glade Peterson, Henri Meilhac, Henry Purcell, Jacques Offenbach, Jules Barbier, Jules Massenet, Leopold Simoneau, Lorenzo da Ponte, Luigi Illica, Madama Butterfly, Manon, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Michel Carré, Nahum Tate, Philippe Gille, Reri Grist, Scipio Colombo, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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I’m on holiday this week, but it would be most unGundlachian of me not to provide an episode to sustain my listeners in my absence. I recently purchased a mammoth 13-LP set on the Concert Hall Society label. The release promises a variety of excerpts that illustrate the history of opera from Monteverdi through Puccini. As such it makes use of a number of complete operatic recordings made for the now-nearly-forgotten label, as well as some impressive individual performances recorded in the early 1960s. One of the attractions of this release to me is that it presents rare recordings by three of the supreme African American divas of that era: Mattiwilda Dobbs, Reri Grist, and Felicia Weathers, the latter two at the very beginning of their international careers in the early 1960s, when they were both fest at the Zürich Opera (where, my astute listeners will remember, contralto Carol Smith) was also ensconced. None of these recordings has received wide distribution (in fact, to my knowledge the majority of them were never re-released in any form). So it is my particularly pleasure to present to you each of these three estimable artists in peak form on recordings that I (at least) had never before encountered: Dobbs as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Olympia and Antonia in Tales of Hoffmann; Grist as Norina in Don Pasquale; and Weathers as Dido, Manon (by Massenet, not Puccini!), and Butterfly! A number of interesting male singers are nearby to provide assistance in duets: the Swiss tenor Fritz Peters, the American Glade Peterson (both of whom were also fest in Zürich at that time), the legendary French-Canadian Léopold Simoneau and Italian dramatic baritone Scipio Colombo. Far be it from me to throw together an episode that was not as fascinating as some of my more deeply-researched efforts! I’m also celebrating this week 100,000 downloads of the podcast. I’ve often referred to Countermelody as “the Little Podcast that Could,” so this milestone is particularly gratifying to me. Finally, this episode also serves as a belated birthday tribute to Felicia Weathers, who just last week turned 88 years old.

Episode 379. Stuart Burrows In Duet

July 25, 2025African American Singers, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, In Memoriam, Margaret Price, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Renata Scotto, Singers of Color, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Alan Bergman, Alexandre Dumas fils, Andrea Maffei, Arrigo Boito, Beverly Sills, Bruno Bartoletti, Bryan Balkwill, Carlo Felice Cillario, David Belasco, Diana Montague, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Donald Gramm, Emanuel Schikaneder, ETA Hoffmann, Falstaff, Faust, Felice Romani, Francesco Maria Piave, Friedrich Schiller, Georg Solti, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Bardari, Giuseppe Giacosa, Gundula Janowitz, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Hector Berlioz, Henri Meilhac, Herbert von Karajan, Jacques Offenbach, Jerome Kern, Joan Sutherland, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Luther Long, José Van Dam, Jules Barbier, Jules Massenet, Julius Rudel, La sonnambula, La Traviata, Leontyne Price, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Lorenzo da Ponte, Luigi Illica, Macbeth, Madama Butterfly, Manon, Margaret Price, Maria Stuarda, Marilyn Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch, Michel Carré, Michel Plasson, Nelly Miricioiu, Oscar Hammerstein II, Peter Maag, Philippe Gille, Renata Scotto, Reri Grist, Richard Bonynge, Robin Stapleton, Sarah Caldwell, Seiji Ozawa, Serge Baudo, Show Boat, Stuart Burrows, Sylvain Cambreling, Vincenzo Bellini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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So many great singing artists lost to the world of late! Almost a month ago now, the great Welsh tenor Stuart Burrows (07 February 1933 – 29 June 2025) left this mortal coil at the age of 92. Burrows was an artist of extraordinary technique, elegance, and sincerity and it has been an honor and a delight to put together this episode which celebrates his career. Because he was a favorite partner of so many exceptional divas, I decided to focus this episode on Burrows singing duets with some of the most important divas of his era. Included in the episode are Beverly Sills, Gundula Janowitz, Joan Sutherland, Renata Scotto, Leontyne Price, Nelly Miricioiu, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Margaret Price, and Reri Grist, singing Mozart, Massenet, Offenbach, Gounod, Berlioz, Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, and even some Puccini. “The boys” are represented by José van Dam and Countermelody favorite Donald Gramm. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Burrows was a popular television star in the UK, starring in the eponymous BBC2 series, Stuart Burrows Sings. The episode also features two snippets from that show, one a duet with the beautiful lyric mezzo Diana Montague (whose husband tenor David Rendall died earlier this week). The episode begins with a tribute to the beloved Welsh pop contralto Iris Williams, who died on July 11 at the age of 79.

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 373. Carol Neblett: Girl of the Golden West

July 4, 2025Art Song, Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Honor Your Mentors, In Memoriam, Interview, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Operetta, Rescue Mission, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Abe Polakoff, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfred Maria Willner, Anatole France, Anton Guadagno, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Ariadne auf Naxos, Ariettes oubliées, Arrigo Boito, Barry Morell, Bruno Bartoletti, Carl Suppa, Carlo Gozzi, Carlo Zangarini, Carol Neblett, Charles Wendelkon-Wilson, Chris Nance, Claude Debussy, Cornell MacNeil, Darlene Lawrence, David Belasco, Dominic Cossa, Don Yule, Enrico Di Giuseppe, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Francesco Maria Piave, Georges Rodenbach, Giacomo Puccini, Giambattista Moresco, Gian Carlo Menotti, Gian Piero Mastromei, Giangiacomo Guelfi, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Giacosa, Guelfo Civinini, Gustave Charpentier, Heinz Reichert, Henri Meilhac, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Idomeneo, Il Trovatore, Imre Pallo, Ion Piso, James Levine, John Pritchard, Jules Massenet, Julian Patrick, Julius Korngold, Julius Rudel, Kenneth Schermerhorn, Knud Anderson, La Fanciulla del West, La rondine, La Traviata, Louis Gallet, Louis Quilico, Luciano Pavarotti, Luigi Illica, Manon, Michael Devlin, Michelangelo Veltri, Paul Schott, Paul Verlaine, Philippe Gille, Renato Simoni, Richard Strauss, Rigoletti, Rigoletto, Salvadore Cammarano, Silvio Varviso, Stefan Schermerhorn, Thaïs, The Telephone, Tosca, Turandot, Victor Hugo, Victorien Sardou, William Ledbetter, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Today is the day that the United States formerly celebrated its independence. But the events of recent months have not made me feel much like celebrating. As I racked my brain to think of an “American” (read: US-American) of whom we could be truly proud, my mind flew to Carol Neblett, one of the great (if relatively unsung) voices of the 1970s and beyond. Carol died prematurely and unexpectedly in November 2017, and from the earliest days of the podcast, it has been my intention to bring increased attention to her incandescent voice and artistry. For a while, her son Stefan Schermerhorn and I have been planning to do such a tribute, but as with so many such plans, life got in the way. With the looming national holiday, however, I felt the urgent need to do a Carol Neblett episode. So I contacted Stefan earlier this week to ask him if he had any reminiscences to share with us as I was preparing this urgently-needed episode. He returned with an absolutely charming Fourth of July anecdote which begins the tribute. There follows a plethora of live recordings of near-definitive performances of an enormous range of roles that were core to Carol’s repertoire: Violetta, Ariadne, Thaïs, Marietta, Manon, Musetta, Louise, Tosca, Magda in La Rondine, Margherita in Mefistofele, Leonora in Il Trovatore, and Elettra in Idomeneo. Also well-represented is no doubt her most celebrated portrayal: Minnie in La Fanciulla del West. Being a tall and statuesque California-born blonde made Carol a physically ideal Minnie, but even moreso, it was THAT VOICE which allowed her to negotiate all of the part’s considerable vocal difficulties and made her legendary in the part. This is the first of a planned series of Neblett episodes that I hope will bring you as much delight in listening as it did me in preparing it. And in this undeniably grim period of our nation’s history, we desperately need Carol Neblett as a shining example of the brilliance of which the United States is still capable.

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 343. Over-the-Top Sopranos, French Edition

March 21, 2025African American Singers, Bel canto, Black History Month 2025, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Great Tenors, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Rescue Mission, Singers of Color, VerismoAbbé Prevost, Alain Guignal, Alfred Blau, Anatole France, Andrée Esposito, Armand Silvestre, Brigitte Desnoues, Camille du Locle, Carol Neblett, Charles Gounod, Charles Grandmougin, Charlotte Tirard, Denia Mazzola Gavazzeni, Denis Pyramus, Elisabeth Rethberg, Émile Deschamps, Erich Ortmann, Ernest Reyer, Esclarmonde, Eugène Morand, Eugène Scribe, Franco Coppola, François Ruhlmann, Françoise Pollet, Frédéric Mistral, Fromental Halévy, Gaetano Merola, Georges Bizet, Gérard de Nerval, Germaine Lubin, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Giovanni Martinelli, Grisélidis, Hélène Parraguin, Henry Bataille, Henry Defosse, Jacques Mercier, Jean Périsson, Jean-Luc Viala, Jean-Philippe Courtis, Jules Adnis, Jules Barbier, Jules Massenet, Jules-Henri de Saint-Georges, Knud Anderson, La jolie fille de Perth, La lépreuse, La Reine de Saba, La Vierge, Les Huguenots, Louis de Gramont, Louis Gallet, Louis Hasselmans, Madeleine Sibille, Manon, Marcel Wittrisch, Margarete Teschemacher, Mariella Devia, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Michel Carré, Michèle Command, Miguel Villabella, Mireille, Nibelungenlied, Ninon Vallin, Patrick Fournillier, Philippe Gille, René Maison, Roméo et Juliette, Rosa Ponselle, Sylvio Lazzari, Thaïs, Thomas Beecham, Walter Scott, William Shakespearecountermelody

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As a follow-up to my Mezzos on the Verge series, which seemed to resonate with so many of you, today I present the first in a new ongoing series, Over-the-Top Sopranos. As I first began exploring this repertoire, my first thoughts were focused on Italian repertoire. But then I gave myself the challenge of focusing on the French style instead, thinking that I would not have as easy a time of it. Was I ever wrong! There is such a profusion French (and non-French) singers going to the brink with life or death performances of French music that thrills one to the core. Naturally I focus on familiar composers of both French grand opera (Meyerbeer, Halévy, Gounod) and opéra-comique (Massenet, Bizet) but, as always with Countermelody, there are repertoire surprises along the way, including operas by Ernest Reyer and Sylvio Lazzari. And the wealth of sopranos heard here boggles the mind: again ranging from favorites such as Ninon Vallin, Rosa Ponselle, Mariella Devia, Germaine Lubin, Elisabeth Rethberg, and Carol Neblett, to such lesser-known lights as Andrée Esposito, Françoise Pollet, Madeleine Sibille, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Charlotte Tirard, and Margarete Teschemacher, alongside many others. This is the kind of episode I absolutely love to produce, one rich in both discoveries and old favorites, performed by old and new favorites. Goûtez-vous-en!

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 288. Teresa Żylis-Gara Revisited

September 10, 2024Behind the Iron Curtain, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfredo Kraus, Andrea Chénier, Antonio Somma, Ariadne auf Naxos, Auguste Barbier, Benvenuto Cellini, Berislav Klobučar, David Belasco, Die Zauberflöte, Emanuel Schikaneder, Eugène Scribe, Francesco Maria Piave, Franco Bonisolli, Giacomo Puccini, Gianfranco Masini, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Hector Berlioz, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jacek Kaspszyk, James Levine, Jean Fournet, John Alexander, John Henry Long, José Carreras, Jules Massenet, La Boheme, La Traviata, Leif Segerstam, Léon de Wailly, Luciano Pavarotti, Luigi Illica, Manon, Peter Lindroos, Philippe Gille, Piero Visconti, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Richard Woitach, Seiji Ozawa, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Tannhäuser, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Umberto Giordano, Un ballo in maschera, Wiesław Ochman, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Brendelcountermelody

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Today I revisit the life, career, and sumptuous voice of the great Polish soprano Teresa Żylis-Gara, who died three years ago on 28 August 2021 at the age of 91. The soprano was for the most part shockingly under-recorded, so I have scoured the internet for examples of her live in performance, and unearthed examples of her singing Wagner, Massenet, Puccini, Verdi, Strauss, Giordano, Mozart, and Berlioz with some divine tenorial counterparts including Franco Bonisolli, José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, John Alexander, Alfredo Kraus, Wiesław Ochman, Peter Lindroos, and Piero Visconti. I know I am not the only one who revels in the rich velvety timbre of Mme. Żylis-Gara, and each of the tenors heard alongside her presents her versatile voice in a different facet of its beauty.

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.

Episode 281. La Scottissima

August 19, 2024Bel canto, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Renata Scotto, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlfredo Kraus, Amilcare Ponchielli, Andrea Maffei, Angelo Campori, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Antonio Somma, Antonio Tonini, Arnold Schoenberg, Arrigo Boito, Charles Duveyrier, Claudio Abbado, David Belasco, Didier Gold, Don Giovanni, Emidio Mucci, Erwartung, Ettore Caimi, Eugène Scribe, Eve Queler, Felice Romani, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Francis Poulenc, Fulvio Vernizzi, Gaetano Donizetti, George Schick, Giacomo Puccini, Gioavacchino Forzano, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Giacosa, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, I vespri siciliani, Il tabarro, Il Trovatore, James Levine, Jean Cocteau, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, John Alexander, John Luther Long, John Wustman, Jon Vickers, Josep Pons, Jules Massenet, Julius Rudel, L’elisir d’amore, La Boheme, La Gioconda, La voix humaine, Licinio Refice, Lodoletta, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lucia di Lammermoor, Luciano Pavarotti, Luigi Illica, Macbeth, Madama Butterfly, Manon, Marie Pappenheim, Mercedes Llopart, Nello Santi, Norma, Otello, Ouida, Philippe Gille, Pietro Mascagni, Renata Scotto, Riccardo Muti, Salvadore Cammarano, Sixten Ehrling, Spiris Argiris, Suor Angelica, Tatiana Troyanos, Un ballo in maschera, Vasile Moldoveanu, Victor Hugo, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Scott, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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I began work on this episode on the one-year anniversary of the death of Renata Scotto, perhaps the most beloved of my many dearly-loved divas. But I have been thinking about and planning it ever since August 16, 2023. Now I am collected my thoughts on what made Scotto, in my opinion, one of the greatest artists of the past century. I break down her main repertoire into three groups (bel canto, Verdi, and verismo [including, however incorrectly, Puccini]); I describe her artistic and vocal training and her development into a powerful singing actress; I play her in duet with some of her most significant colleagues (including a few surprises); I assess her greatest roles and some of her surprising late-career assumptions; and I consider some of her most daring career risks (and the resultant flops and triumphs, sometimes in the same role!) I draw on a deep pool of mostly live recordings that reveal Scotto’s musical and dramatic intelligence as I describe my own encounters with her live in performance, both in person and on the television screen. Throughout I have tried my best to capture the individuality and the fearlessness of the singer who most deeply influenced and affected me as my musical tastes were forming: La Scottissima, my diva.

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 246. Previn Moore Introduces Camilla Williams and Janet Williams (Listeners’ Favorites)

February 28, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Broadway, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Interview, Lieder, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Schubert, Twentieth Century MusicAida, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Berliner Staatsoper, Boris Bezala, Camilla Williams, Celius Dougherty, Detroit, Du Bose Heyward, Francis Poulenc, Franz Schubert, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Georges Bizet, Giuseppe Verdi, Ira Gershwin, Janet Williams, Jules Massenet, Laszlo Halasz, Léo Delibes, Les pecheurs de perles, Louis Aragon, Manon, MGM Records, New York City Opera, Porgy and Bess, Semele, Spirituals, Undine Smith Moorecountermelody

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As the final entry in this year’s Black History Month episodes, my dear friend Previn Moore introduces his Listeners’ Favorites choice, an episode I published in the early months of Countermelody back in the fall of 2019. It features two phenomenal Black sopranos whose friendship and mentorship Previn outlines in detail in an introductory interview I did with him at his home in Vienna this past week. This episode features the phenomenal, the legendary, the pathbreaking soprano Camilla Williams (1919-2012), whom Previn first met as a young tenor at Indiana University’s School of Music, where Miss Williams was the first African American teacher of singing to serve on the faculty. While there, Previn also formed a lifelong friendship with Camilla’s student, Janet Williams, who herself went on to a brilliant worldwide career, including twelve years as a leading soprano with the Staatsoper Unter den Linden here in Berlin. Janet and I met as fellow students in the Merola Opera Program of the San Francisco Opera and it has been my joy and a privilege to share a treasured friendship with her ever since. In tribute to both of these extraordinary sopranos, I offer a cache of rare studio recordings by Camilla Williams, supplemented by live material sung by Janet Williams from the artist’s private archives. Included among the selections are excerpts from Camilla’s rarely-heard album of spirituals on the MGM Records label, and a concert given by Janet Williams in her home town of Detroit in 1989, capped by a stunning rendition of Undine Smith Moore’s arrangement of the spiritual “Watch and Pray,” dedicated to Camilla Williams. Many thanks to Previn, Janet, and the extraordinary Camilla Williams for their shining examples and for their dedicated artistry.

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.

Episode 197. Theatre Dreams

May 19, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Broadway, Comic Relief, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Renata Scotto, Richard Wagner, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Voiceless Wonders, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Alain Boublil, Alice Ripley, Arnold Schoenberg, Arrigo Boito, Arthur Endrèze, Benjamin Britten, Birgit Nilsson, Biserka Cvejić, Bohuslav Martinů, Brigitte Fassbaender, Carl Maria von Weber, Cesare Valletti, Charles Gounod, Charles Kullman, Claude Devos, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Cy Coleman, Daniel Gundlach, Der Freischütz, Der Zigeunerbaron, Deva Dassy, Dorothy Fields, Edith Mathis, Eduard Künneke, Eleanor Steber, Elektra, Emily Skinner, Ettore Panizza, Eugen Jochum, Fiddler on the Roof, Frank Porretta, Franz Allers, Frieder Weissmann, Gabriel Faure, Georg Solti, Georges Neveux, Geraint Evans, Giovanni Martinelli, Giuseppe Verdi, Grace Bumbry, Hanna Binyamini, Harold Barlow, Henri Defosse, Henri Meilhac, Hildegard Behrens, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ira Gershwin, Iris (Mascagni), Ivo Žídek, Izhak Graziani, Jacques Brel, Jacques Offenbach, James Levine, Janet Baker, Jaroslav Krombholc, Jean Laforge, Jerry Bock, Joe Darion, Johann Strauss II, José Van Dam, Jules Barbier, Jules Gressier, Jules Massenet, Kurt Weill, La Belle Helene, Lady in the Dark, Lawrence Tibbett, Lea Dulitzkaya, Lee Venora, Leopold Ludwig, Léopold Marchand, Les Misérables, Lloyd Arriola, Lohengrin, Louis Beydts, Ludovic Halévy, Luigi Illica, Man of La Mancha, Manon, Mária Tauberová, Marie Pappenheim, Martin Isepp, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Melitta Muszely, Michel Carré, Mitch Leigh, Nello Santi, Nicolai Gedda, Oklahoma!, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otello, Patrick Baton, Philippe Gille, Pierre Monteux, Pietro Mascagni, Renata Scotto, René Leibowitz, Richard Rodgers, Richard Strauss, Richard Tauber, Richard Wagner, Robert Massard, Robert Stolz, Roland Gilbert, Romand Bussine, Roméo et Juliette, Sheldon Harnick, Shmuel Rudenski, Shraga Friedman, Spiros Argiris, Sweet Charity, The King and I, Todd Ellison, Victoria de los Angeles, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zafrira Yaronicountermelody

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I’ve been plotting an episode on the subject of Dreams for a while. Given the profusion of music that references that altered state of consciousness, my challenge was narrowing down the topic. I chose to focus today on theater music (opera, operetta, and musicals) that references actual rather than figurative dreams. Even within these parameters, there was a plethora of material and as usual my repertoire choices are strangely and uniquely my own. So on this episode you’ll hear everything from a 1965 recording of Tevye’s Dream from Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, from the first Israeli production of the musical; Renata Scotto in late career essaying the haunted dreamscapes of Arnold Schoenberg’s monodrama Erwartung; Mattiwilda Dobbs in a rare 1952 recording of “Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben” from Mozart’s Zaide; excerpts from unusual French and German operettas featuring Robert Massard and Charles Kullman, respectively; birthday tributes to Birgit Nilsson and Richard Tauber; and the great Welsh bass Geraint Evans in a live performance of Bottom’s Dream from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And much, much more, including a teaser of next week’s subject the Italian lyric tenor Cesare Valletti; and Janet Baker live in recital in 1966, a preview of the first in a series of bonus episodes that will feature rare LPs from my personal collection. As always, thanks for your support; enjoy!

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 180. Anna Moffo Reappraised

January 20, 2023Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century MusicAdolf von Schack, Afro Poli, Alexandre Dumas, Alfred Grünwald, Anna Moffo, Anton Coppola, Anton Guadagno, Antonio Amurri, Arleen Augér, Berislav Klobučar, Billy Smith, Carlo Bergonzi, Carlo Felice Cillario, Charles Gounod, Don Giovanni, Emmerich Kálmán, Erich Leinsdorf, Falstaff, Fernando Previtali, Francesco Maria Piave, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Franco Ferrara, Franz Lehár, Friedrich Schiller, Fritz Löhner-Beda, Gaetano Donizetti, George Gershwin, Georges Bizet, Georges Pretre, Gerald Moore, Giacomo Puccini, Gian Francesco Malipiero, Gianni Ferrio, Gino Gorini, Giovanna d’Arco, Giuditta (Lehár), Giulio Fioravanti, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe di Stefano, Giuseppe Giacosa, Gräfin Mariza, Hans Carste, Hans Rosbaud, Heinrich Hart, Henri Meilhac, Henri René, I Puritani, Ira Gershwin, Jacopone da Todi, James King, Jane Berbié, John Orrick, Jules Barbier, Jules Massenet, Julius Brammer, Kurt Eichhorn, La rondine, La sonnambula, La Traviata, Lehman Engel, Leopold Stokowski, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lorin Maazel, Lucia di Lammermoor, Ludovic Halévy, Luigi Illica, Madama Butterfly, Manon, Mario Lanfranchi, Mario Rossi, Michel Carré, Miti Truccato Pace, Oliviero de Fabritiis, Oscar Straus, Paul Knepler, Peter Maag, Philippe Gille Abbé Prévost, Piero Piccioni, Piero Umiliani, Prosper Mérimée, Renato Simoni, René Leibowitz, Richard Fredericks, Richard Hundley, Richard Strauss, Roméo et Juliette, Rudolf Friml, Rudolf Schock, Salvadore Cammarano, Sergio Franchi, Sergio Lorenzi, Skitch Henderson, Temistocle Solera, The Chocolate Soldier, Tosca, Tullio Serafin, Turandot, Victor Herbert, Victorien Sardou, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Scott, Werner Schmidt-Boelcke, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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The Italian-American lyric coloratura soprano Anna Moffo (1932-2006) is, for many, one of the great singers of the past century. My first exposure to this artist was one of two, frankly, disastrous recordings released in the mid-1970s, in which the voice was a mere shadow of its former self, and in which her vocal defects and mannerisms had overtaken the intrinsic beauty of her voice. But there are so many exceptional qualities to Moffo as an artist, musician, and media star, that I felt compelled to do a frank reappraisal of her contribution to the lyric art. And am I glad that I did! I discovered an artist of great integrity who, in her best work, attained a similar level to any of the other great singers performing during that period. Unlike any other opera singer that I can think of, she conquered three distinct markets with equal success: first in Italy (where she rose to overnight stardom in the late 1950s and went on in the 1960s to become the star of her own eponymous television series); then in the United States throughout the 1960s; and finally, in the late 1960s and 70s, in Germany. But hers is also a cautionary tale of “too much, too soon” and the potentially destructive power of the media which has significance also in today’s opera world. Throughout the episode, live and studio examples of Moffo’s work, both bad and (mostly) good over the course of more than twenty years, are offered to support my discussion of her importance and influence as an artist, one that continues to this day. Vocal guest stars include tenors Carlo Bergonzi, Rudolf Schock, Giuseppe di Stefano, and Sergio Franchi, and musical collaborators include Tullio Serafin, Gerald Moore, Lorin Maazel, Hans Rosbaud, Fernando Previtali, Lehman Engel, Oliviero de Fabritiis, René Leibowitz, Kurt Eichhorn, Berislav Klobučar, and Franco Ferrara. For those who love Moffo, for those who hate her, and for those who find themselves somewhere in between, this episode is (dare I say it?) required listening.

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 162. NYCO Divas: An Introduction

September 16, 2022African American Singers, Bel canto, Broadway, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, VerismoAlexander Borodin, Anne Elgar, Anton Guadagno, Ariadne auf Naxos, Arthur Miller, Benvenuto Cellini, Beverly Sills, Brenda Lewis, Camilla Williams, Carlisle Floyd, Carol Brice, Carol Neblett, Charles Gounod, Charles Wilson, Christopher Keene, Douglas Moore, Ellen Faull, Emerson Buckley, Faust, Frances Bible, Gustav Meier, Hector Berlioz, Herbert Beattie, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Jack Beeson, Johanna Meier, John LaTouche, Jules Massenet, Julius Rudel, Kenward Elmslie, Laszlo Halasz, Lillian Hellman, Lizzie Borden (Beeson and Elmslie), Lydia Ibarrondo, Manon, Maralin Niska, Marc Blitzstein, New York City Opera, Olivia Stapp, Patricia Brooks, Patricia Wells, Patricia Wise, Phyllis Curtin, Prince Igor, Regina, Richard Strauss, Robert Ward, Samuel Krachmalnick, Sarah Caldwell, Susannah, The Ballad of Baby Doe, The Crucible, Veronica Tyler, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Today is the final regular episode of Season Three of Countermelody, as well as the last of my summer series documenting musical life in New York City during the years 1950 through 1975. I am thrilled to start what I hope will be an occasional series of episodes that will drop throughout Season Four, which begins in two weeks. I present to you a small sampling of the extraordinary singing actors that peopled the stage of New York City Opera during the years in question. The most famous of these, of course, is Beverly Sills, and she is aptly represented in her most radiant early prime. But there are many other singers as well, including African American divas Carol Brice and Veronica Tyler, preceded by Camilla Williams (the first Black singer to be awarded a standing contract with a major US opera company… in 1946!). City Opera was celebrated for presenting an absolute slew of new American work in its heyday, and we hear works by Carlilse Floyd, Robert Ward, Douglas Moore, Marc Blitzstein, and Jack Beeson in performances by Phyllis Curtin, Frances Bible, Brenda Lewis, and Ellen Faull. Other divas strutting their stuff include Olivia Stapp, Johanna Meier, and the three mesdames Patricia: Brooks, Wells, and Wise. The episode is capped by some of the rarest live recordings from the stage of City Opera by three singers who made their mark during their heyday, and would be the biggest stars in the world were they singing today: Gilda Cruz-Romo, Maralin Niska, and Carol Neblett, all of whom will be featured in her own episode during Countermelody’s upcoming season. A fitting way to end Season Three, as well as a harbinger of vocal delights to come! (Next week will be a preview of the upcoming season!)

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 8. Williams and Williams

November 10, 2019African American Singers, BHM2023WK1, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Lieder, Needle Drop, Singers of ColorAida, Berliner Staatsoper, Borislav Bezala, Camilla Williams, Celius Dougherty, Detroit, George Frideric Handel, Georges Bizet, Giuseppe Verdi, Janet Williams, Jules Massenet, Laszlo Halasz, Léo Delibes, Les pecheurs de perles, Manon, MGM Records, New York City Opera, Nina Koshetz, Povla Frijsh, Semele, Spirituals, Undine Smith Moorecountermelody

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As a supplement to the first part of my interview last week with Janet Williams, I offer a cache of rare studio recordings by Camilla Williams, supplemented by live material sung by Janet Williams from the artist’s private archives. Among other material featured are excerpts from Camilla’s rarely-heard album of spirituals on the MGM Records label, and a concert given by Janet Williams in her home town of Detroit in 1989, capped by a stunning rendition of Undine Smith Moore’s arrangement of the spiritual “Watch and Pray,” dedicated to Camilla Williams.

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