Tag Archives: Sergei Rachmaninov

Episode 238. Delcina Stevenson (BHM2024)

February 2, 2024African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, Black History Month, Black History Month 2024, Broadway, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAida, Alessandra Marc, Alexander Pushkin, Antonio Ghislanzoni, Armen Guzelimian, Auguste Mariette Bey, Camille du Locle, Claudio Guastalla, David Atkins, Delcina Stevenson, Dina van Driesten, Edward Boatner, Eugene W. Hancock, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustave Charpentier, Hans Wiers-Jenssen, Heinrich Heine, Jean Périsson, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Joseph Shore, La Fiamma (Respighi), Louise (Charpentier), Maurice Jarre, Oscar Wilde, Ottorino Respighi, Péchés de vieillesse, Robert Bass, Sergei Rachmaninov, Sharon Davis, Spirituals, Stephen Sondheim, Sweeney Todd, T.K. Wang, Tania Agins, Ted Puffer, Vincent Mitzelfelt, William Pillin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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I am so grateful to all the listeners who did introductions to their favorite episodes last month. It provided me with a little bit of needed breathing space and now I am back raring to go with my first new episode for 2024, just in time for Black History Month 2024! There is a secondary theme for this month which is “Forgotten Divas,” a favorite topic of mine at any time of year. The term “forgotten” needs to be taken with a grain of salt, because these women are anything but forgotten among those who experienced their singing, teaching, or friendship live and in person. Nevertheless, for want of a better term (Divas Who Deserve to Be As Well-Remembered as Any of Their More Famous Counterparts seems a little wordy), I’ll stick with the designation I chose.

Today’s artist is the only “Forgotten Diva” who is still with us, soprano Delcina Stevenson, born 29 September 1933, so this enables me to also “give flowers” (to coin a present-day term I actually like) to her directly. She was born in Kansas and graduated from Kansas University. After moving to California in 1960, she coached and studied with Lotte Lehmann, Gwendolyn Koldofsky, Martial Singher, and William Vennard, and was a protégée early in her career of Kurt Herbert Adler at the San Francisco Opera. She has lived and performed around the world, primarily in California, New York, and Germany. She possessed one of the most exquisite lyric soprano voices I have ever heard, one which never aged, but simply grew more lush and voluminous. The musical excerpts I have compiled feature her in live and studio recordings from over the course of more than 30 years, ranging Mozart to Sondheim to Rossini, in which that voice is on shimmering display. I am thrilled to introduce (or reintroduce) her to you.

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 186. Roberta Alexander in Opera

March 3, 2023African American Singers, BHM2023WK4, Black History Month, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Happy Birthday, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century OperaAdam Gatehouse, Adrian de Peyer, Andrew Davis, Angels in America, Beatrice Cenci (Goldschmidt), Benjamin Luxon, Berthold Goldschmidt, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Dante Alighieri, Der gewaltige Hahnrei (Goldschmidt), Don Giovanni, DuBose Heyward, Edward Downes, Egon Wellesz, Elektra, Esa-Pekka Salonen, ETA Hoffmann, Fernand Crommelynck, Fiona Kimm, Francesca da Rimini (Rachmaninov), George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Gerd Albrecht, Giulio Cesare, Gregg Baker, Gwenneth Bean, Hans Aschenbach, Hans Vonk, Hermann Hesse, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Ilse Eerens, Ira Gershwin, Jacques Offenbach, James Morris, Jenůfa, Kenneth Montgomery, La Clemenza di Tito, Le nozze di Figaro, Leos Janacek, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lothar Zagrosek, Michael Forest, Michael Schneider, Modest Tchaikovsky, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Paride ed Elena, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Péter Eötvös, Philip Langridge, Porgy and Bess, Renate Behle, Richard Strauss, Robert Wörle, Roberta Alexander, Sergei Rachmaninov, Theodora (Handel), Vier letzte Lieder, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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Today it is with the utmost excitement that I bring you an episode devoted to one of my favorite singers of all time, soprano Roberta Alexander, who celebrates her birthday today, March 3rd! I remember first encountering this radiant voice of burnished silver back when I was in graduate school when I discovered her early recordings of art song, including albums devoted to Charles Ives and Richard Strauss. Over the course of a long and successful career she has sung in all major opera houses around the world and in concert halls under the batons of countless distinguished maestri. What is it that makes this voice so special? Alongside a rock-solid vocal technique that has allowed her to sing well into her seventies, she is also gifted with impeccable musicianship and staggering stylistic versatility. For me it is not only the unusual color of the voice, both shimmering and profound (the chiaroscuro!), but even more so, her dedication to communication through clarity of diction and razor-sharp dramatic precision that sends her into the realm of the all-time greats. This episode focuses on Roberta’s versatility and prowess on the operatic stage, featuring live and studio recordings over more than thirty years of works by composers from Handel, Gluck, and Mozart, through twentieth century masters such as Janácek, Gershwin, and Berthold Goldschmidt. We also hear an excerpt from one of Roberta’s favorites among her recordings, a rare 1982 live performance of Richard Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder. Speaking of Lieder, an upcoming episode this spring will focus on our diva on the concert platform. It was my great honor to meet Roberta in person when she was performing in Berlin in 2022 and therefore it is also to her as a friend that I extend my heartiest good wishes for a happy birthday. I had to remind myself not to fan girl as I was recording the narration for this episode, but I’m not sure I succeeded!

Episode 181. Nicolai Gedda in Song

January 27, 2023Art Song, In Memoriam, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Schubert, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century MusicAldo Ciccolini, Alexander Pushkin, Alexander Tcherepnin, Alexander Varlamov, Alexis Weissenberg, Anthony Miranda, Ben Jonson, Benjamin Britten, Charles Gounod, Dalton Baldwin, Dichterliebe, Die schöne Müllerin, Edda Moser, Edvard Grieg, Erik Werba, Francis Poulenc, Franz Schubert, Frederic Waldman, Gabriel Faure, Geoffrey Parsons, Gerald Moore, Gerhard Singer, Hector Berlioz, Heinrich Heine, Henri Duparc, Hermann Reutter, Jan Eyron, Jean Sibelius, Johann Mayrhofer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Leconte de Lisle, Leos Janacek, Nicolai Gedda, Nikolai Tcherepnin, Ottorino Respighi, Paul Éluard, Richard Strauss, Sergei Rachmaninov, Silvio Varviso, Spanisches Liederspiel, Théophile Gautier, Wilhelm Müller, William Faulkner, Wolfgang Sawallischcountermelody

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Today’s episode is a special request from one of my most dedicated listeners, and one with which I am happy to comply. It is already seven years this month since the death of the great Swedish tenor Nicolai Gedda (11 July 1925 – 8 January 2017). One of the most cultivated singers of the twentieth century, Gedda not only had a rock-solid technique and an instantly recognizable timbre, but he was a brilliant musician and a polyglot of the first order, singing a wide range of repertoire and styles in a host of languages. He was also a prolific recording artist. Though he sang an enormous range of operatic roles, in this episode, I have decided to focus entirely on a slightly lesser-known aspect of his career: his work in art song. Gedda was a master of French style, but also celebrated for his performances of Russian music. And one of the three languages he spoke while he was growing up was German, which lends his work in that language a real authenticity as well. In listening to recordings of song repertoire, I was struck by the frequent added spontaneity and commitment of his live versus his studio performances, so the episode features a large number of selections culled from Gedda’s live recitals. Gedda is accompanied by some of the most exceptional pianists of his time: Alexis Weissenberg, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Gerald Moore, Geoffrey Parsons, Dalton Baldwin, Erik Werba, Hermann Reutter, and his compatriot and most frequent collaborator Jan Eyron. Another extraordinary aspect of Gedda’s singing was his longevity. We hear him in songs by Strauss, Berlioz, Schubert, Janáček, Duparc, Grieg, Schumann, Fauré, Respighi, and Gounod, recorded over a period of nearly 40 years. Here is another singer who was active into the twilight of his life and sang into his seventies with both the intimacy and clarion power that were his musical trademarks.

Episode 83: Frühlingslieder [Spring Songs]

April 4, 2021African American Singers, Art Song, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, Holiday Music, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAksel Schiotz, Alan Jay Lerner, Alec Wilder, Benjamin Luxon, Bernard Kruysen, Brigitte Fassbaender, Bryn Terfel, Buddy Clark, Burt Bacharach, Charles Gounod, Claude Debussy, Comedian Harmonists, David Triestram, Dionne Warwick, Dorothy Fields, Edith Mathis, Edvard Grieg, Elly Ameling, Emilio de Gogorza, Emily Skinner, Erik Werba, Felix Mendelssohn, Fran Landesman, Frank Loesser, Franz Schubert, Georgia Brown, Gerald Moore, Gilbert Kalish, Gordon MacRae, Hans Hotter, Hugo Wolf, Jan DeGaetani, Jean Fournet, Jean-Paul Jeannotte, Jerome Kern, John Ireland, Judith Raskin, Kirsten Flagstad, Kurt Weill, Liane Augustin, Luther Henderson, Mabel Mercer, Martina Arroyo, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Milton Babbitt, Ned Rorem, Noël Lee, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Weston, Peter Schreier, Polly Bergen, Rebecca Luker, Richard Rodgers, Roberta Alexander, Sergei Rachmaninov, Tamara Milashkina, Tom Lehrer, Tommy Wolf, Vernon Duke, Walter Jurmann, Wilhelm Müller, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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Dear listeners, it is Easter Sunday. While we are strictly non-sectarian at Countermelody, I did want to offer a program of spring favorites to welcome in the earth’s rebirth. (I also had to scramble to create a “filler” episode due to having lost two days of work this week after receiving my first jab on Wednesday.) Hence today’s offering: a Blumenstrauss of songs celebrating the beloved season of spring. I decided to limit today’s selections exclusively to song, omitting opera, operetta, and oratorio, but somewhat arbitrarily including songs from musicals amidst the classical and pop offerings. Even so, what a lineup of stars today: everyone from Mabel Mercer to Jan DeGaetani, from Hans Hotter to Dionne Warwick, from Georgia Brown to Roberta Alexander, from Kirsten Flagstad to Gordon MacRae. We hear composers ranging from Alec Wilder to Franz Schubert, from Milton Babbitt to Burt Bacharach, and from Hugo Wolf to Tom Lehrer. May these songs and songsters help us to welcome in the long-awaited spring!

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 55. Season Two Teaser

October 4, 2020African American Singers, Art Song, Broadway, Crossover, Giuseppe Verdi, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music, Needle Drop, Pop IconsAdolph Green, Alec Wilder, Alexander Kipnis, Anita Cerquetti, Antonín Dvořák, Betty Comden, Brenda Lewis, Brigitte Fassbaender, Burton Lane, Carol Brice, Carol Neblett, Charles Cambon, Cyndi Lauper, Donald Gramm, Dory Previn, Dusty Springfield, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Eide Norena, Felix Mendelssohn, Francis Poulenc, Francisco Araiza, Franz Schubert, Friedrich von Flotow, Gaspare Spontini, George Frideric Handel, Giacomo Puccini, Giorgio Zancanaro, Giuseppe Verdi, Guillaume Apollinaire, Heather Harper, Heinrich Heine, Helen Reddy, Irmgard Seefried, Jack Beeson, Johannes Brahms, John Duke, John Reardon, Judith Blegen, Jule Styne, Jules Massenet, Kenward Elmslie, Lotte Lenya, Marlene Dietrich, Milada Šubrtová, Nicholas Lenau, Patricia Brooks, Paul Robeson, Pierre Bernac, Robert Schumann, Roberta Alexander, Ruby Elzy, Russell Oberlin, Sándor Kónya, Sergei Rachmaninov, Stephen Sondheim, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yi-Kwe Sze, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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This week represents the limbo between the first and second seasons of Countermelody. I have been collating ideas for programs for the coming year and I have some short snippets representing singers and topics that we’ll be encountering there. We begin the episode with Francisco Araiza, who celebrates his 70th birthday on October 4th. And we conclude the episode celebrating the live of Helen Reddy, whose song “I Am Woman” formed the soundtrack to the burgeoning Women’s Movement in the 1970s. In between I present short clips of some of my favorite singers who will be featured in upcoming episodes, including Anita Cerquetti, Alexander Kipnis, Russell Oberlin, Ruby Elzy, Eidé Noréna, Sándor Kónya, Heather Harper, Paul Robeson, Cyndi Lauper, Milada Šubrtová, Carol Brice, John Reardon, Yi-Kwe Sze, Judith Blegen, Charles Cambon, Dory Previn, Donald Gramm, Pierre Bernac, Irmgard Seefried, Lotte Lenya, Dusty Springfield, and many others. This episode is also a thank you to all listen and support the podcast in whatever ways they are able. I can’t wait to bring you the first episode of Season Two next week!

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. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our 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!