Tag Archives: Prosper Mérimée

Episode 244. Veronica Tyler (BHM 2024)

February 23, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Comic Relief, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giacomo Puccini, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Lieder, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Singers of Color, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartArthur Gold, Carmen, Charles Bressler, Die Zauberflöte, Du Bose Heyward, Emanuel Schikaneder, Erich Leinsdorf, Ernest Ragogini, Florence Price, Georg Friedrich Daumer, George Gershwin, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini Luigi Illica, Gian Carlo Menotti, Giuseppe Giacosa, Gregory Millar, Gustave Charpentier, Henri Meilhac, Henri Murger, Hermann Prey, Ira Gershwin, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johannes Brahms, John Boyden, John Reardon, Julius Rudel, La Boheme, Leoanrd Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Louise (Charpentier), Ludovic Halévy, Porgy and Bess, Prosper Mérimée, Regina Sarfaty, Robert Fizdale, Robert Schumann, Spirituals, Szene aus Goethes Faust (Schumann), Veronica Tyler, Warren Wilson, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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This Countermelody episode is the last in my miniseries featuring artists from Baltimore. It is also the last in my new episodes for Black History Month 2024 featuring “Forgotten Divas.” Today I offer to you the absolutely divine soprano of Veronica Tyler (1939-2020), who fits all three categories. In the 1960s, Veronica Tyler was a name on everyone’s lips: she appeared on three different episodes of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts, she was the second prize winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1966, the first time this venerable contest had featured singers, she was a featured artist at the New York City Opera, where, in their first season at Lincoln Center, she sang a Pamina in The Magic Flute of such humanity and transcendent vocal beauty that audiences were transported into another world. She sang under conductors Leopold Stokowski, Erich Leinsdorf, Zubin Mehta, Eugene Ormandy, Carlo Maria Giulini, Robert Shaw, and Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. Later on she made a belated Met debut in 1985 as Serena in their premiere production of Porgy and Bess, but gradually her high profile appearances became fewer and fewer and eventually she disappeared from view. Her death on 21 March 2020 was only announced three months later, and with little fanfare. But during her heyday, Veronica Tyler was among the most elegant, compelling, and ingratiating lyric sopranos in the business. I have scoured the archives to bring to light some of the artist’s most beautiful performances, some of them virtually unheard for decades, including a 1980 album of spirituals that ranks among the best of this repertoire ever committed to disc. What inexpressible joy it brings me to present to you the unforgettable Veronica Tyler!

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 221. Robert Massard

November 1, 2023African American Singers, Bel canto, Canadian Singers, French Opera, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAlbert Willemetz, Albert Wolff, Anatole France, André Messager, André Turp, Andréa Guiot, Andrée Esposito, Antonio Somma, Armand Bernard, Camille du Locle, Carlo Maria Giulini, Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana, Charles Gounod, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Darius Milhaud, Denise Duval, Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht, Édouard Blau, Édouard Lalo, Ernest Reyer, Eugène Diaz, Eugène Scribe, Franc-Nohain, Frédéric Mistral, Gabriel Faure, Gaetano Donizetti, Gaston Hirsch, Georg Solti, George Shirley, Georges Pretre, Georges Sébastian, Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti, Giovanni Verga, Giuseppe Verdi, Guido Menasci, Gustave Flaubert, Hector Berlioz, Henri Grémont, Henri Meilhac, Henry Brougham Farnie, Hérodiade, Iphigénie en Tauride, Jane Rhodes, Jean Giraudeau, Jean Laforge, Jésus Etchéverry, Joseph Peyron, Jules Massenet, Jules Prével, L’heure espagnole, Léopold Marchand, Les Troyens, Louis Beydts, Louis Gallet, Louis Varney, Lucie de Lammermoor, Ludovic Halévy, Mady Mesple, Manuel Rosenthal, Marilyn Horne, Maurice Ravel, Michel Carré, Michel Hamel, Mireille, Nicolas-François Guillard, Nino Falzetti, Patricia Neway, Paul Claudel, Paul Ferrier, Paul Milliet, Philippe Gille, Pierre Dervaux, Pietro Mascagni, Prosper Mérimée, Regine Crespin, René Fauchois, Renée Doria, Reynald Giovaninetti, Rita Gorr, Robert Benedetti, Robert Massard, Robert Planquette, Shirley Verrett, Suzanne Sarroca, Thaïs, Un ballo in maschera, Walter Scottcountermelody

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This is an episode I have been planning for years now! This past August 15, the great French baritone Robert Massard turned 98 years old. As many of my listeners know, I have a thing for baritones in general, and I have devoted episodes to artists of the baritone persuasion from world-renowned to virtually unknown to somewhere in-between. Just think of it: Gérard Souzay, Jorma Hynninen, Eugene Holmes, Andrzej Hiolski, Gabriel Bacquier, Will Parker, Gilbert Price: these and many more have already been featured with more (Hugo Hasslo, Eric Sædén) on the horizon for next season. But I would be hard-pressed to think of a baritone who possessed a more beautiful natural voice, a more refined technique, or a more elegant artistry than did Robert Massard, who in his thirty-odd years of career chalked up approximately 2,500 performances, including 1,003 at the Paris Opéra alone (the same number, he himself points out, as Don Giovanni’s conquests)! Massard also sang an incredibly varied (though primarily operatic) repertoire, and this episode presents highlights from both the standard to the more obscure repertoire, from Gluck, Gounod, Verdi, and Massenet; to Reyer, Milhaud, Lalo, and Diaz (who?). These recordings are supplemented by a number of excerpts from French operetta (Planquette, Varney, Messager, and Beydts) which provide unalloyed melodic delight, the Massard voice heard at its absolute peak. And the colleagues who appear opposite Massard are like a Who’s Who of great opera singers (French and otherwise) of the era: Régine Crespin, Mady Mesplé, Denise Duval, Shirley Verrett (subject of next week’s episode!), Andréa Guiot, Jean Giraudeau, André Turp, Marilyn Horne, Renée Doria, Jane Rhodes, Andrée Esposito, Rita Gorr, and the falcon Suzanne Sarroca, who died last month at the age of 96. And if you listen very closely, you will also catch fleeting glimpses of favorites Patricia Neway and George Shirley. I know I say this too often, but if you only listen to one episode of Countermelody, make it this one!

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.

Episode 170. Oralia Domínguez

November 11, 2022Art Song, Bel canto, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Mirella Freni, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAida, Albert de Klerk, Alberto Zedda, Alceste, Alcina, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Antonio Vivaldi, Arrigo Boito, Camille Saint-Saens, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Claudio Monteverdi, Das Lied von der Erde, Edmundo Baez, Eugène Scribe, Euripides, Falstaff, Federico García Lorca, Felix de Nobel, Ferdinand Lemaire, Ferenc Fricsay, Gaetano Donizetti, George Frideric Handel, George van Renesse, Georges Bizet, Geraint Evans, Gioacchino Rossini, Giovanni Francesco Busenello, Giuseppe Verdi, Guido Picco, Gustav Mahler, Hans Bethge, Henri Meilhac, Irène Aïtoff, Jean Fournet, Jean Martinon, Joan Sutherland, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, József Simándy, Juditha triumphans, Jules Massenet, L’incoronazione di Poppea, La favorita, La favorite, La Gioconda, Lamberto Gardelli, Li-Tai-Po, Ludovic Halévy, Ludovico Ariosti, Maria Callas, Martina Arroyo, Mirella Freni, Monica Sinclair, Nelly Wagenaar, Nicola Rescigno, Oliviero de Fabritiis, Oralia Dominguez, Paul Kletzki, Petite messe solennelle, Prosper Mérimée, Ranieri de’ Calzabigi, Raymond Leppard, Richard Kraus, Salvador Moreno, Samson et Dalila, Silvestre Revueltas, Victor Hugo, Vittorio Gui, Werther, William Shakespearecountermelody

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Earlier this year, in an episode entitled “Women of Color Sing Mahler,” I provided many of my listeners to their first exposure to the Mexican contralto Oralia Domínguez (25 October 1925 – 25 November 2013). Domínguez is famed for her collaborations with such musical giants as Maria Callas and Herbert von Karajan, but on her own terms, she ranks alongside those monumental true contraltos like Marian Anderson and Kathleen Ferrier. Though there is no question that she was underrecorded, she left a handful of classic commercial recordings, and a plethora of recorded live performances which an artist both technically grounded and fearless in expression, one whose legato singing exuded repose just as her phenomenal coloratura singing generates genuine excitement. I cannot say enough about this artist, who has rapidly become one of my very favorites! The episode features Domínguez in a wide range of material, from Monteverdi, Handel, and Vivaldi to the meat and potatoes roles in the standard operatic repertoire (Verdi, Rossini, Donizetti, Ponchielli, Saint-Saëns, Massenet) as well as less familiar fare by Michael Tippett and Mexican composers Silvestre Revueltas and Salvador Moreno. Along the way our Earth Goddess is joined by fellow singers Joan Sutherland, Martina Arroyo, Mirella Freni, József Simándy, Monica Sinclair, and, of course, Maria Callas. A bonus episode published concurrently on Patreon presents Domínguez in extended operatic scenes and further rare song material.