Tag Archives: Robert Holl

Episode 404. Dan’s Belated Birthday Boys (Baritone Edition)

October 21, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Broadway, Canadian Singers, Crossover, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Rescue Mission, Schubert, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Spirituals, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Voiceless WondersAdam Kruszewski, Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet, Alain Motard, Alfons Diepenbrock, Allan Evans, Andrea Chénier, Andrea Maffei, Anton Paulik, Antonio Somma, Aubrey Pankey, Carl Zeller, Charles Panzéra, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Claude Debussy, Constantin Regamey, Dale Duesing, Daniel Blumenthal, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, David Allyn, Del Newman, Der Bajazzo, Der Vogelhändler, Donald Voorhees, Edmond de Biéville, Erich Kunz, Erik Werba, Eugène Scribe, Ezio Pinza, Francesco Maria Piave, François Villon, Frank Martin, Franz Schubert, Fritz Kitzinger, Georg Büchner, Georg Buschor, Georg Friedrich Daumer, Gerd Albrecht, Gerhard Mendelson, Gianni Maffeo, Giuseppe Torelli, Giuseppe Verdi, Heinz Rehfuss, Histoires naturelles, Jaroslav Vogel, Jean Sibelius, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Johann Gabriel Seidl, Johannes Brahms, John Shirley-Quirk, Johnny Richards, Josef Metternich, Josst van den Vondel, Jules Renaud, Kostas Paskalis, Leonidas Zoras, Lorenz Hart, Ludwig Held, Luigi Illica, Macbeth, Manfred Gurlitt, Martial Singher, Maurice Ravel, Moritz West, Naum Walter, Omar Khayyam, Pagliacci, Paul Ulanowsky, Pavel Lisitsian, Pentti Koskimies, Piero Coppola, Pierre Mollet, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Randy Newman, Reynaldo Hahn, Riccardo Stracciari, Richard Rodgers, Robert Holl, Roland Hermann, Rudolf Jansen, Ruggero Leoncavallo, Rupert Brooke, Scott Walker, Sergei Rachmaninov, Siegfried Stöckigt, Stéphane Mallarmé, Theodor Uppman, Théophile de Viau, Tom Krause, Trois Ballades de François Villon, Umberto Giordano, Un ballo in maschera, Victor Varin, Walter Better, Wilhelm Schüchter, William Shakespeare, Wojciech Michniewski, Wolfgang Rödelberger, Wozzeckcountermelody

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A brand-new episode today inaugurating a series of episodes belatedly celebrating my birthday that will see us through to the end of the month. I have so many singers, composers, and topics in which I am interested and hope to devote full episodes to in the near future. This is the first of two episodes focusing on baritones (and a few bass-baritones) who have not yet received full Countermelody treatment. Among the singers included: Josef Metternich, Tom Krause, Walter Berry, Theodor Uppman (pictured), Erich Kunz, Charles Panzéra, Roland Hermann, Aubrey Pankey, Kostas Paskalis, Pavel Lisitsian, Gianni Maffeo, John Shirley-Quirk, and exemplary pop singers Scott Walker and David Allyn singing a wide range of music from art songs of Sibelius, Rachmaninov, Griffes, Diepenbrock, and Vaughan Williams, to mélodies by Ravel, Debussy, and Hahn, to Lieder by Schubert and Brahms, to operetta arias to opera scenes and arias by Leoncavallo, Verdi, and Manfred Gurlitt; to pop songs by Randy Newman and Rodgers and Hart. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg: also teased are forthcoming episodes on arie antiche and the Polish-Swiss composer Constantin Regamey. Come to think of it, today’s is an excellent introduction to the Countermelody podcast in all its range and scope.

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 385. Classical Singer-Songwriters

August 16, 2025African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Canadian Singers, Countertenors, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Honor Your Mentors, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAleksis Kivi, Amy Schroeder, Andrea Goodman, Andrew Yee, Anna Moffo, Anna Tonna, Anne Sexton, Attacca Quartet, Barbara Strozzi, Billy Smith, Bruno Laplante, Caroline Shaw, Cathy Berberian, Charles Cambon, Daniel Gundlach, Der singende Traum, Diamánda Galás, Dominic Salerni, Éloi de Grandmont, Erika Duke Kirkpatrick, Ernst Marischka, Felix Timmermans, Gilda Lyons, Harry Partch, Henri Büsser, Isabela Dobarro, James Janssen, Janine Lachance, Jean Racine, Jean-Baptiste Faure, Jean-Paul Jeannotte, Jennifer Peterson, Joan La Barbara, Jozef de Bennhouwer, Jules Bledsoe, Kaylynn Sullivan, Kim Borg, Kristina Melcher, Laurie Anderson, Lisa Bielawa, Mario Lanfranchi, Martha Sullivan, Mary Anne Ballard, Meredith Monk, Monica Solem, Nathan Schram, Neal Ceppos, Patricia Kleinman, Pauline Viardot, Pentti Koskimies, Perry Hoberman, Phèdre, Polly Tapia Ferber, Rainer Maria Rilke, Richard Einhorn, Richard Tauber, Richard Zvoner, Robert Holl, Roman Baran, Rosario Bourdon, Sarah Pillow, Susan Kampe, Tito Schipacountermelody

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You’re all going to laugh at me, but that’s okay, cuz I’m I’m the one laughing hardest! I had planned an easy-peasy episode for yesterday, one which focused on two great 20th century bass-baritones who were both valued recitalists as well as composers! I’m talking about the faboo basses, Finnish Kim Borg, and Dutch Robert Holl, who also happened to be fantastic recitalists. I had the recordings on my collection; I just had to put them into an episode. But of course I began meditating on the question of the classical music version of the Singer-Songwriter and suddenly the episode had gone down a very different (and much more complicated) path. I came up with some fascinating examples beyond Borg and Holl (both of whom are still heard performing their songs on the episode!), all the way back to the Renaissance era and through to an incredibly impressive array of modern-day avant garde composer/performers. For starters: Barbara Strozzi and Pauline Viardot from days long past, but also figures like the great French baritone Jean-Baptiste Faure (anyone remember “The Palms”?), and those three intrepid tenors Tito Schipa, Richard Tauber, and Jean-Paul Jeannotte, and along the way not forgetting gay icons Jules Bledsoe and Harry Partch. Moving into the present-day, we encounter astonishing women composer/performers including pathbreakers Cathy Berberian, Joan La Barbara, Diamánda Galás, Laurie Anderson, and Meredith Monk, but also those intrepid women who have both taken inspiration from their models while carving out their own paths: Gilda Lyons, Martha Sullivan, Lisa Bielawa, and Caroline Shaw, among others. I’m thrilled that many of the singers, composers, or composer/performers are also friends of mine. Among those not mentioned above, stellar singers Sarah Pillow (singing Strozzi), and Anna Tonna (singing Viardot). Don’t tell anyone, but you might even hear me singing something! Exciting news about this episode: There are more women composers heard here than male! Hope you didn’t mind waiting for this one a little longer than usual!

Episode 351. Schubert in Not-German

April 18, 2025Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Queer Pride, Richard Wagner, Schubert, Singers in Old Age, Singers of ColorAntoine Bélanger, Aune Antti, Bo Setterlind, Boris Gmyrya, Camille Maurane, Chip Zien, Cy Walter, Daniel Barenboim, Die schöne Müllerin, Franz Schubert, Friedrich zu Stolberg-Stolberg, Germaine Martinelli, Gioachino Rossini, Greta Keller, Gustave Samazeuilh, Håkan Hagegård, Harry Plunket Greene, Heinrich Heine, Ivan Kozlovsky, Jacopo Ferretti, James Kushner, Jean Doyen, Johann von Salis-Seewis, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, La belle meunière, La Cenerentola, Lev Ostrin, Lily Bienvenu, Ludwig Rellstab, March of the Falsettos, Matthäus von Collin, Michael Rupert, Michael Starobin, Naum Walter, Pentti Koskimies, Peter Seiffert, Peter Strummer, Pierre Maillard-Verger, Piotr Nikitin, Richard Wagner, Robert Dean, Robert Holl, Stephen Bogardus, Thomas Schuback, Wilhelm Müller, William Finn, Winterreisecountermelody

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I have been fascinated for years by operas performed in the vernacular, a phenomenon which was common in Germany until quite recently. Even more interesting in many ways is the performance of art song in the language of the audience. Some time ago I produced an episode featuring the Lieder of Franz Schubert performed in both French and Russian translation. As a supplement to that episode, I present here two of the featured artists from that episode, the French baryton martin Camille Maurane (1911 – 2010) and the Russian lyric tenor Ivan Kozlovsky (1900 – 1993), quintessential representatives of their respective vocal categories, both of whom happened to live well into their nineties. They are featured singing the songs of Schubert in their native languages in recordings made between 1946 and 1962. Certain songs are sung by both artists, allowing one to make direct comparisons between their very different vocal styles. In addition I feature excerpts from Schubert’s two supreme masterpieces, Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise, the latter excerpts sung in Finnish, Swedish, and English, with an additional shocking surprise before the end. The episode begins with brief memorial tributes to three significant musicians who have died recently: composer William Finn, basso buffo Peter Strummer, and Heldentenor Peter Seiffert.

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 252. Zsolt Bognár Introduces A Baritonal Schubertiade (Listeners’ Favorites)

March 20, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Canadian Singers, Great Baritones, In Memoriam, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Schubert, Singers of Color, Voiceless WondersAksel Schiotz, Alexander Kipnis, Aloys Wilhelm Schreiber, Barry McDaniel, Bernard Kruysen, Dalton Baldwin, David Lutz, Ernest Lush, Frank Bibb, Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, Franz von Schober, Friedrich Rückert, Friedrich Schiller, Gerald Moore, Gerard Souzay, Gerard van Blerk, Gérard Wyss, Hans Hotter, Heinrich Schlusnus, Hermann Prey, Irwin Gage, Johann Gabriel Seidl, Johann Georg Jacobi, Johann Mayrhofer, Jorma Hynninen, Josef Greindl, Karl Schmitt-Walter, Lawrence Winters, Leo Schützendorf, Max Saal, Michael Raucheisen, Oliver Pohl, Paul Ulanowsky, Pavel Lisitsian, Robert Holl, Rolf Gothóni, Roman Trekel, Sebastian Peschko, Tom Krause, Walter Martin, Wilhelm Müller, Zsolt Bognárcountermelody

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I was thrilled to discover a while back that the pianist, interviewer, and journalist Zsolt Bognár, who produces the video series Living the Classical Life, is a devoted fan of Countermelody. We recently met up in person in NYC, where we discussed, among many other things, the supremacy of Franz Schubert and how his humanity finds perfect expression in his compositions. Zsolt has graciously provided the introduction to this episode, one of my favorites in the history of the podcast, which I originally produced for the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. As I remarked then, I repeat now: when I am at a loss for words, I always turn to Schubert and his music. In keeping with this month’s theme of great baritones, I once again offer this episode, which I have entitled “A Baritonal Schubertiade.” Listeners will discover some singers that we’ve already heard this month, primarily Bernard Kruysen and Jorma Hynninen, and two more singers (Gérard Souzay and Alexander Kipnis) who will be featured in full episodes next week. Kipnis’s recording stems from 1927, while German baritone Roman Trekel’s selection was recorded in 2017. Thus we have 90 years of great Lieder singing to enjoy in this episode: in addition to the singers already mentioned, Tom Krause (pictured with Carl Kundmann’s statue of Schubert in the Stadtpark in Vienna), Hans Hotter, Lawrence Winters, Hermann Prey, Barry McDaniel, Heinrich Schlusnus, Pavel Lisitsian, Bernard Diamant, and Karl Schmitt-Walter are also featured. And the episode begins with Zsolt’s recording of Liszt’s stirring transcription of Schubert’s “Aufenthalt.”

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.