Tag Archives: Roland Hermann

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 389. Rescue Mission (Operatic Duet Edition)

August 29, 2025African American Singers, Black History Month, Black History Month 2025, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Ileana Cotrubas, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Opera in Translation, Renata Scotto, Rescue Mission, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Opera, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAntigonae, April Cantelo, Cardillac, Carl Maria von Weber, Carl Orff, Carlo Bergonzi, Carlo Franci, Carol Neblett, Christa Ludwig, Claude Debussy, Claudio Monteverdi, David Rendall, Deborah Voigt, Der Besuch der alten Dame, Der fliegende Holländer, Die Ägyptische Helena, Die drei Pintos, Don Giovanni, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Eberhard Wächter, Edda Moser, Elena Vink, Eugène Scribe, Fabio Luisi, Felice Romani, Fernand Lion, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Friedrich Hölderlin, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Badoaro, Giuseppe Verdi, Gottfried von Einem, Grace Bumbry, Gustav Mahler, Helen Donath, Horst Stein, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Ileana Cotrubas, Imre Pallo, John Bröcheler, John Pritchard, John Reardon, Jorma Hynninen, Julius Rudel, Kenneth Montgomery, L’elisir d’amore, Lanford Wilson, Lee Hoiby, Leo Blech, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lorin Maazel, Mary Beth Peil, Maurice Maeterlinck, Nabucco, Paul Daniel, Paul Hindemith, Pelleas et Melisande, Renata Scotto, Richard Stilwell, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Rita Cullis, Roberta Alexander, Roland Hermann, Sophocles, Stafford Dean, Summer and Smoke, Temistocle Solera, Tennessee Williams, The Flying Dutchman, Thomas Hemsley, Ulf Schirmer, Walter Süsskind, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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I have spent the past week planning forthcoming episodes and last night I realized I had to “throw together” something for this weekend’s episode. When this happens, it can often result in a very eclectic program, indeed, and one which many of my listeners find to be among the most enjoyable Countermelody episodes. I have collected more than enough material for at least a dozen of my so-called “Rescue Mission” episodes, in which I feature artists to whom an entire episode has already been devoted, but for whom I have unearthed additional recordings. For today’s episode, I decided to focus exclusively on duets, featuring at least one singer of each pair who has already been heard (sometimes quite recently) on the podcast. And thus we have David Rendall singing Erik in The Flying Dutchman opposite Rita Cullis; Renata Scotto (with Carlo Bergonzi) in Elisir; April Cantelo in Paul Hindemith’s Cardillac; Maureen Lehane as Penelope in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria; Carol Neblett as Donna Elvira; and Helen Donath (with Deborah Voigt in Strauss’s rare Die ägyptische Helena). Also heard are operas by Gottfried von Einem, Giuseppe Verdi, Lee Hoiby, and Carl Orff featuring Christa Ludwig, John Reardon, Grace Bumbry, Edda Moser, and upcoming Countermelody featured artists John Bröcheler, Roland Hermann, and Eberhard Wächter. The episode concludes with the unlikely pair of Ileana Cotrubaş (pictured) and Jorma Hynninen (two of my most revered singers) as the title characters in a transcendent live recording of Pelléas et Mélisande.

Episode 383. Get to Know Carol Smith

August 8, 2025Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Honor Your Mentors, In Memoriam, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Twentieth Century Opera, VerismoAlexander Young, Bach Aria Group, Barbara Scherler, Bernard Greenhouse, Camille Saint-Saens, Carol Smith, Cavalleria Rusticana, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Erich Itor Kahn, Felice Romani, Felix Schumann, Ferdinand Lemaire, Gaetano Donizetti, Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti, Giovanni Verga, Giuseppe Verdi, Guido Menasci, Hana Janků, Heinrich von Kleist, Hermann Lingg, Jacques-François Ancelot, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Jussi Bjorling, Kari Nurmela, Martti Talvela, Messa da Requiem, Nello Santi, Orfeo ed Euridice, Othmar Schoeck, Penthesilea, Pietro Mascagni, Raili Kostia, Rainieri de’ Calzabigi, Renato Cellini, Robert Bloom, Roberto Devereux, Roland Hermann, Salvadore Cammarano, Samson et Dalila, Willem van Otterloo, William H. Scheide, Zdeněk Mácal, Zinka Milanovcountermelody

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If the exceptional Illinois-born contralto Carol Smith (20 February 1926 – 06 June 2021) has previously escaped your notice, now is the perfect opportunity to get to know her better. She began her career singing the music of Bach with the legendary Bach Aria Group, founded in 1946 by philanthropist, scholar, and collector William H. Scheide. Smith then went on for further vocal training in Italy, making her operatic stage debut in 1961 in Napoli. There followed a glorious operatic career as one of the world’s leading dramatic mezzo-sopranos, with performances throughout Italy and Germany as well as with her home company in Zürich. She went on to become an esteemed and highly respected voice teacher on two continents. This episode digs deep into her recorded legacy, featuring cantata arias of Bach, Lieder of Brahms, arias by Gluck, Verdi, and Saint-Saëns, and scenes from Cavalleria rusticana, Roberto Devereux, and Penthesilea, a hidden early 20th-century masterpiece by Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck. No matter what repertoire Smith was singing, she was, by virtue of her chocolate-timbred voice, dramatic flair, and vocal glamour, power, and flexibility, a true Queen of Song.

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 265. Meet Hana Janků

June 6, 2024Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, In Memoriam, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlexander Pushkin, Amilcare Ponchielli, Antonín Dvořák, Antonio García Gutiérrez, Arrigo Boito, Barry McDaniel, Bedřich Smetana, Carlo Gozzi Turandot, Carol Smith, Cornell MacNeil, Dalibor, Ervín Špindler, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Franco Corelli, František Jílek, Gabriela Preissová, Gaetano Bardini, Giacomo Puccini, Giorgio Merighi, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Patanè, Giuseppe Verdi, Hana Janků, Hana Svobodová, Hana Svobodová-Janků, Heinrich von Kleist, Il Trovatore, Jan Štych, Jaroslav Krombholc, Jaroslav Vrchlický, Jenůfa, Jirí Pinkas, Josef Wenzig, Karl Vüllings, La Gioconda, Le nozze di Figaro, Leos Janacek, Libuše, Lorenzo da Ponte, Luigi Illica, Modest Tchaikovsky, Naděžda Kniplová, Oldrich Pipek, Othmar Schoeck, Penthesilea, Pierre Beaumarchais, Pique-Dame, Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, Roland Hermann, Salvadore Cammarano, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Torquato Tasso, Tosca, Victor Hugo, Victorien Sardou, William Holley, William Wu, Wolf Appel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zdeněk Mácal, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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Have you ever encountered a singer that no one has apparently heard of, yet once you have discovered them, you feel compelled to introduce them to practically everyone you know? I’ve had this experience more than a few times over the past five years of producing weekly Countermelody episodes, and today I bring you another such singer: friends, meet Hana Janků, the Czech soprano who lived from 25 October 1940 to 28 April 1995. Her voice is one of steely brilliance that she can taper down to the slightest whisper of a pianissimo. As important as her extraordinary voice was her profoundly-felt and deeply-etched characterizations of all the roles she assumed. As a young music lover, Hana’s aims were modest, but thanks to a voice teacher who recognized her gift, she moved from the chorus to a member of the ensemble at the Brno Opera before she was 20. Five years later in Bratislava, she first performed the role with which she would be most closely associated: Puccini’s Turandot. Two short years later, after an arduous audition process, she sang the role at La Scala and became a star overnight. Her large repertoire also encompassed roles such Tosca, Gioconda, and Lady Macbeth, French and Russian operas as well as Mozart and Wagner roles, with a large smattering of roles by Czech composers as well, in particular Smetana and Dvořák. Because of political unrest, she made the difficult decision to leave her native Czechoslovakia, performing instead throughout the world, including stints in the ensembles at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Ill health forced her to leave the opera stage prematurely, and she died of cancer in Vienna before she turned 55. Janků left very few commercial recordings, but I have been plumbing the internet for rare live recordings spanning her entire career, encompassing not only her legendary Italian roles, but also roles by Mozart, Gounod, and Othmar Schoeck, as well as a smattering of Czech repertoire. It is an honor to present to you the woman whom Birgit Nilsson dubbed the finest Turandot of her era and who was, as we shall hear, so much more as well! Vocal guest stars include Franco Corelli, Giorgio Merighi, Cornell MacNeil, Roland Hermann, William Holley, and Naděžda Kniplová.

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.