Tag Archives: Manon Lescaut

Episode 315. Gilda Cruz-Romo

December 15, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, Holiday Music, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAbbé Prevost, Ah Perfido!, Alexandre Dumas fils, Amilcare Ponchielli, Andrea Chénier, Andrea Maffei, Ángel de Saavedra, Angelo Campori, Anna Bolena, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Arrigo Boito, Attila, Carlo Bergonzi, Carlo Felice Cillario, Carmen, Colenton Freeman, Domenico Oliva, Emerson Buckley, Ernani, Felice Romani, Francesco Maria Piave, Friedrich Schiller, Gaetano Donizetti, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, Herrera de la Fuente, Il Trovatore, John Alexander, Jorge del Moral, Joseph Rescigno, Julius Rudel, La Boheme, La forza del destino, Le nozze di Figaro, Lorenzo da Ponte, Ludovic Halévy, Ludwig van Beethoven, Luigi Illica, Luisa Miller, Macbeth, Manon Lescaut, Marco Praga, Martin Smith, Matteo Manuguerra, Nicola Rescigno, Nikki Giovanni, Norma, Peter Maag, Pierre Beaumarchais, Portia White, Prosper Mérimée, Renato Simoni, Riccardo Muti, Richard Karp, Richard Wagner, Salvadore Cammarano, Tannhäuser, Temistocle Solera, Tobia Gorrio, Turandot, Umberto Giordano, Victor Hugo, Vincenzo Bellini, Walter Herbert, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zacharias Werner, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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While I was growing up, Gilda Cruz-Romo was a fixture on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. At the time, I did not fully appreciate her, as I thought of her as a second-string singer on the roster. I saw her once on the Met tour as Desdemona opposite Jon Vickers, but for reasons none too flattering to me, I undervalued her. In recent years, however, I have completely revised my opinion, and now think that Gilda Cruz-Romo was both the most significant Mexican soprano ever to appear on the world’s stages, but also simply one of the finest lirico-spinto sopranos of the twentieth centuries. Fortunately there are many people that agree with me, including some devoted fans who have posted an extraordinary number of live recordings of the artist on YouTube and elsewhere. And this is especially helpful because, incredibly, Cruz-Romo never made any commercial recordings. This episode fully explores the career and repertoire of our subject for today, and includes performances of the soprano in her core Verdi and Puccini repertoire (including such surprises as Odabella, Lady Macbeth, and Turandot!), as well as less expected forays into Mozart and bel canto. Throughout her virtues shine forth: a plangently beautiful voice with a particularly radiant top wedded to an incredibly secure technique, which afforded her enormous flexibility and coloratura facility. Added to this, and paramount to her artistry, is a dedication to her craft and to music which sweeps all before it and raises her work into the realm of the sublime. I think of this episode (the last completely new episode I’ll be putting out this season) as a pre-birthday tribute, as the diva turns 85 years old on February 12, 2025. Other singers heard on the episode are tenors Carlo Bergonzi, Colenton Freeman, and John Alexander, and baritone Matteo Manuguerra; among the conductors are Zubin Mehta, Nicola Rescigno, Riccardo Muti, Peter Maag, and Julius Rudel.

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 296. Dan’s Operatic Picks

October 8, 2024Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Claudia Muzio, Crossover, Eileen Farrell, Forgotten Divas, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, VerismoAdriana Lecouvreur, Aksel Schiotz, Alec Wilder, Alfred Bachelet, Alfredo Catalani, Alfredo Simonetti, Andrea Chénier, Andrée Esposito, Angela Lansbury, Antonino Votto, Carl Nielsen, Cesare Siepi, Chanson perpétuelle (Chausson), Charles Cros, Charles Gounod, Christian Morgenstern, Claudio Muzio, Daniel Beckwith, Daniel Gundlach, Don Carlo, Donald Pippin, Edith Mason, Eileen Farrell, Eleanor Steber, Elly Ameling, Ernest Chausson, Ettore Bastianini, Francesco Cilea, Franco Corelli, Franco Ferraris, Franz Lehár, Friedrich Schiller, Georg Solti, Georges Thill, Germaine Féraldy, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giorgio Giorgetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Helmut Winschermann, Hermann Weigert, Hugo Hasslo, I Puritani, I vespri siciliani, Ian Partridge, Il barbiere di Siviglia, István Kertész, Jacques Offenbach, Jacques Prévert, James Quillian, Jean Morel, Jennifer Partridge, Jerry Herman, Johann Sebastian Bach, Jorma Hynninen, Joseph Kosma, Joseph-Étienne Szyfer, Jules Barbier, Jussi Bjorling, La Belle Helene, La Wally (Catalani), Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Loonis McGlohon, Lotte Lehmann, Lucia Popp, Madama Butterfly, Magda Olivero, Manon Lescaut, Maria Vitale, Mario Rossi, Nathaniel Shilkret, Nils Grevillius, Pierre Barbizet, Ralf Gothoni, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Stracciari, Richard Crooks, Roméo et Juliette, Sándor Kónya, Sigmund Romberg, Susan Dunn, Svend Christian Felumb, The Desert Song (Romberg), Umberto Giordano, Victorien Sardou, Vincenzo Bellini, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yrjö Kilpinencountermelody

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I’m still under the weather, but I can’t let that keep me from posting my usual Tuesday episode! Here is another recycled bonus episode, this one posted two years ago in honor of my birthday, which features some of my favorite singers. At that time I posted a brand new episode entitled “Dan’s Picks,” but many of the best selections ended up on the cutting room floor. That hurt my heart so much that I had no choice but to do a companion episode which features a number of things that were lacking from the main episode: first of all, more tenor goodness (Aksel Schiøtz, Franco Corelli, Sándor Kónya, Jussi Björling, Richard Crooks, Ian Partridge); second of all, more burly baritones (Jorma Hynninen, Ettore Bastianini, Riccardo Stracciari, and the lesser-known megawatt talent Hugo Hasslo). Also heard are a number of sopranos that have not received enough Countermelody airtime (Edith Mason, Maria Vitale, Andrée Esposito, Lucia Popp), as well as a number of favorites that we (I?) simply can’t get enough of: Muzio, Lehmann, Olivero, Farrell, Steber. I even set aside modesty to include a brief clip of me from a demo I recorded some time ago, back when I could still sing! Every selection in this episode is very dear to my heart; I hope you will enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Episode 293. The Mysterious Mara Coleva

September 27, 2024Behind the Iron Curtain, Forgotten Divas, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAbbé Prevost, Adriana Lecouvreur, Aida, Alexander Ostrovsky, Alfredo Catalani, Alfredo Simonetto, Ángel de Saavedra, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Arturo Colautti, August Apel, Bruno Rigacci, Caliso Bassi, Carl Maria von Weber, Claudio Guastalla, Der Freischütz, Domenico Oliva, Eligio Possenti, Ernest Legouvé, Eugène Scribe, Francesco Cilea, Francesco Maria Piave, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Franco Faccio, Friedrich Laun, Friedrich Schiller, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Guglielmo Tell, Guillaume Tell, Hans Wiers-Jenssen, Hippolyte Bis, Il franco cacciatore, Johann Friedrich Kind, La Fiamma, La forza del destino, La Wally, Lodovico Rocca, Luigi Illica, Manon Lescaut, Mara Coleva, Marco Praga, Massimo Freccia, Nicola Zaccaria, Ottorino Respighi, Paolo Montarsolo, Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouycountermelody

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The Bulgarian soprano Mara Coleva (12 March 1922 – 22 October 2014) was a vital and versatile singer, the majority of whose career took place in Italy in the 1950s through the very early sixties. Her most prominent and readily-accessible recordings are all for the RAI (Radio-Televisione Italiana), including the role of Silvana in a 1955 recording from Milano and two Martini & Rossi-sponsored RAI concerts, one in Milano in 1957, and the other in Roma in 1961. These recordings reveal an artist with a well-schooled voice with a powerful dramatic sense, but one whose life remains to a great extent shrouded in mystery. It is an enormous thrill and privilege to present this great (if virtually unknown) artist in repertoire ranging from Rossini, Catalani, Cilea, Verdi, and twentieth-century Italian composers Ottorino Respighi and Lodovico Rocca. The episode ends with Coleva in a surprising and superbly-sung rendition of Agata’s big scena from Il franco cacciatore (better known as Weber’s Der Freischütz!)

Episode 272. Lenora Lafayette (Listeners’ Favorites)

July 15, 2024African American Singers, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Singers of Color, VerismoAbbé Prevost, Aida, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Auguste Mariette, Charles Francis Keary, Clemens Krauss, David Belasco, Domenico Oliva, Dusolina Giannini, Frederick Delius, George Byng, George Washington Cable, Georgine von Milinkovič. Georgine von Milinkovic, Giacomo Puccini, Giovanni Capurro, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, Henri Murger, John Barbirolli, John Luther Long, Josef Gostic, Koanga, La Boheme, Lenora Lafayette, Luigi Illica, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Marco Praga, Richard Lewiscountermelody

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Every so often I discover a singer who had previously not come under my radar, but who simply blows me away with their voice, artistry, and communicative powers. Such an artist is the Baton Rouge-born African American soprano Lenora Lafayette (1926-1975), historically important as the first Black artist to perform at Covent Garden. Relocating to Basel shortly after finishing her training under Dusolina Giannini at Juilliard, Lafayette encountered early career success in Switzerland, winning the Geneva Competition and making a highly successful debut at the Basel Opera as Aida, a role which, along with Madama Butterfly, she performed hundreds of times. And yet, despite enormous career success in Europe, she was never able to establish herself in her native country. Her recorded legacy is slim but revelatory: an Aida in German under Clemens Krauss; a 1958 BBC recording of Frederick Delius’s opera Koanga; and a single commercial recording of Puccini duets with Welsh tenor Richard Lewis under the baton of John Barbirolli, who also led her Covent Garden debut. All of these precious documents are sampled on this episode. She was struck down with cancer in her early forties and died prematurely at the age of 49. And yet listening to her recordings, one is struck by the emotional power of her utterance, the firmness of her vocal technique, and the bloom of her exquisite voice. Lenora Lafayette deserves a place among the greatest singers of her generation. This episode was first published during Countermelody’s second season; listening to Lafayette again, I realize just how accurate my initial impressions of her were.

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 136. Puccini en Français

March 18, 2022Canadian Singers, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, VerismoAlain Vanzo, Albert Lance, Albert Wolff, André Cluytens, Arthur Endrèze, Berthe Monmart, César Vezzani, Enrico di Mazzei, Erasmo Ghiglia, Eugène Bigot, Ferdinand Leitner, Gabriel Bacquier, Georges Jouatte, Georges Lauweryns, Georges Liccioni, Georges Pretre, Georges Thill, Georges Truc, Géori-Boué, Germaine Lubin, Germaine Martinelli, Giacomo Puccini, Gustave Cloëz, Jane Rhodes, Jean-Claude Hartemann, José Luccioni, Joseph Rogatchewsky, La Boheme, Lily Pons, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Manuel Rosenthal, Martha Angelici, Marthe Nespoulous, Michel Sénéchal, Michèle Le Bris, Ninon Vallin, Opéra de Paris, Opéra-Comique, Paul Finel, Raoul Jobin, Regine Crespin, Renée Doria, Robert Massard, Suzanne Sarroca, Tosca, Turandot, Yvonne Brothiercountermelody

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This week’s episode is a counterpart to my ongoing exploration of the practice of performing opera in translation which includes the “Verdi auf Deutsch” [www.countermelodypodcast.com/index.php/2021/10/17/episode-111-verdi-auf-deutsch] and “Polyglot Wagner” [www.countermelodypodcast.com/index.php/2020/11/29/episode-63-polyglot-wagner] episodes. With its soaring cantilena lines, Puccini’s music lends itself quite naturally to performance in French. The characteristics of the so-called “French school” of singing, with its frequent focus on bright-timbred, slightly nasal tonal production, lends Puccini’s music a peculiarly French quality when performed in that language. This episode features arias and duets from Madame Butterfly, La Vie de Bohème, and La Tosca, as they are known in French, supplemented by arias from Manon Lescaut and Turandot. These are sung by some of the most famous singers of the twentieth century (including Ninon Vallin, Georges Thill, Régine Crespin, Germaine Lubin, Gabriel Bacquier, Alain Vanzo, and Lily Pons) with contributions by equally impressive but less celebrated French, Corsican, and Belgian artists (including Yvonne Brothier, Berthe Monmart, César Vezzani, José Liccioni, Marthe Nespoulous, Paul Finel, Michèle Le Bris, Martha Angelici, Germaine Martinelli, Jane Rhodes, Georges Jouatte, and the long-lived Géori-Boué [1918-2017], Renée Doria [1921-2021], Suzanne Sarroca [b. 1927], and Robert Massard [b. 1925]). Also heard are foreign singers whose singing nevertheless defines the French method (the Australian Albert Lance, the Canadian Raoul Jobin, the US-American Arthur Endrèze, and the Ukrainian Joseph Rogatchewsky). This episode is a foretaste of a mini-series coming in May on great French lyric artists, including Mady Mesplé, Martial Singher, and Gabriel Bacquier.

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 82. Magda Olivero: La Verissima

March 28, 2021Giuseppe Verdi, Happy Birthday, Needle Drop, VerismoAdriana Lecouvreur, Alfredo Catalani, Arrigo Boito, Arturo Basile, Beniamino Gigli, Francesco Cilea, Franco Alfano, Fulvio Vernizzi, Giacomo Puccini, Gianni Schicchi, Giuseppe Verdi, La Fanciulla del West, La Traviata, Lino Puglisi, Loreley (Catalani), Magda Olivero, Manon Lescaut, Mefistofele (Boito), Otello (Verdi), Sammy Fain, Turandot, Ugo Tansinicountermelody

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This week we celebrate the recent 111th birthday of the great Italian verista Magda Olivero. An extraordinary artist whose unusual career saw her taking a ten-year hiatus just as her career was gaining steam, to return in 1950 at the express request of the composer Francesco Cilea, who felt that her portrayal of the title role of his Adriana Lecouvreur was definitive (and of course he was right!) Olivero made a Metropolitan Opera debut as Tosca at the advanced age of 65; even after her official retirement, she continued to make occasional appearances in concert, including her final one at the age of 99! She began with a modest but capable voice and developed it into a finely-tuned instrument capable of taking on the most dramatic repertoire, including Cherubini’s Medea and Minnie in La fanciulla del West, but always capable of the finest pianissimo shadings. Her voice displays an extraordinary range of color and her dramatic acumen has never been matched. This week’s episode features a number of her live appearances in Amsterdam, including an extraordinary Adriana Lecouvreur from 1965 which features her at her artistic and vocal peak. The episode also features excerpts from an extraordinary live concert at the Church of San Jacopino in Firenze on 28 March 1969 which includes nearly superhuman displays of vocal skill and dramatic insight. Magda Olivero lived to the age of 104; though she is no longer with us on earth, her artistry continues to inspire and delight lovers of opera and singing.

This episode was prepared with the kind assistance and input of Denis Robert, who maintains the Magda Olivero Archives page on YouTube. He was a personal friend of the artist and has done much to meticulously preserve her artistry and keep her legacy alive. He has provided me with high-quality masterings of many of the recordings featured on today’s episode and also regaled me with wonderful personal anecdotes and reminiscences of this great artist.

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. Bonus episodes available only to Patreon supporters are currently available.

Episode 24. Freni in Duet (Mirella In Memoriam I)

March 1, 2020Bel canto, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Mirella Freni, Needle Drop, Renata Scotto, VerismoAlfredo Kraus, Carlos Kleiber, Claudio Abbado, Don Giovanni, Franco Bonisolli, Franco Corelli, Giacomo Puccini, Gianni Schicchi, Giuseppe Verdi, Gundula Janowitz, I Puritani, La Boheme, La Traviata, Lamberto Gardelli, Le due illustri rivali, Le nozze di Figaro, Leone Magiera, Luciano Pavarotti, Luis Lima, Manon Lescaut, Mirella Freni, Nicolai Gedda, Otello, Peter Dvorsky, Renata Scotto, Saverio Mercadante, Vincenzo Bellinicountermelody

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Today, in the first of two consecutive episodes. I pay tribute to the great Mirella Freni, who died on February 7 and who would have celebrated her 85th birthday on February 27th. Celebrated for the freshness of her timbre, her musical integrity and commitment, her vocal prowess and longevity, and her expressivity, Freni sang a repertoire which covered a wide range of styles and languages. Today’s selections, from over the course of her entire career, feature her exclusively in duet, and include selections from Gianni Schicchi, I Puritani, L’Elisir d’amore, Le nozze di Figaro, La Bohème, Otello, Manon Lescaut, Don Carlo, Le due illustri rivali, Don Giovanni, and La Traviata with Alfredo Kraus, Nicolai Gedda, Gundula Janowitz, Franco Corelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Peter Dvorsky, Luis Lima, Renata Scotto, and her husband Nicolai Ghiaurov. Three selections from a rare 1977 LP of Puccini and Verdi duets with the superlative (and notorious!) Italian tenor Franco form the centerpiece of this loving tribute.

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