Tag Archives: Soile Isokoski

Episode 250. Julian Long Introduces Jorma Hynninen (Listeners’ Favorites)

March 13, 2024Art Song, Crossover, Finnish Opera, Great Baritones, Gustav Mahler, Happy Birthday, Interview, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Schubert, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century MusicCesare Bixio, Die schöne Müllerin, Eduard Mörike, Eliahu Inbal, Erik Bergman, Ernst Josephson, Franz Schubert, Fredrik Pacius, Gustav Mahler, Heikki Sarmanto, Hugo Wolf, J.H. Erkko, Jean Sibelius, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Jorma Hynninen, Jorma Panula, Julian Long, Kalevi Kiviniemi, Kiril Kozlovsky, Kullervo Karjalainen, Leif Segerstam, Markku Johansson, Oskar Merikanto, Pentti Koskimies, Ralf Gothoni, Robert Schumann, Selim Palmgren, Soile Isokoski, Taneli Kuusisto, Toivo Kuula, Väino Hannikainen, Wilhelm Müller, Yrjö Kilpinencountermelody

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(Leavin’ on a jet plane this afternoon, so posting a day or so early!)

It is a wonderful thing when friends share a favorite singer. Such is the case with my friend of long-standing, Julian Long (once one reaches a certain age, one no longer uses the term “old friend”). As part of this month’s series of Listeners’ Favorites episodes, Julian has been kind enough to record a new intro for a Countermelody episode that I posted three years ago as a birthday tribute to the marvelous Finnish baritone Jorma Hynninen, who on April 3 will celebrate his 83rd birthday. Unlike me, Julian heard Hynninen many times in both opera and, especially, recital. This episode focuses on Hynninen’s prowess as a singer of art song, beginning with some choice German Lieder recordings, but ultimately focusing on the songs of his native Finland. We hear Hynninen in performances across the span of his entire career, from 1968 through 2015. Needless to say, their great compatriot Jean Sibelius is foregrounded, but, there are a surprising number of fascinating composers in this magisterial country whose work also rewards exploration. If the music of Oskar Merikanto, Yrjö Kilpinen, Erik Bergman, Selim Palmgren, Fredrik Pacius, Väino Hannikainen, Taneli Kuusisto, or Toivo Kuula is not familiar to you, prepare to be delighted, surprised, and moved by the depth and variety of their creation. Soile Isokoski also joins Hynninen in an excerpt from the cantata Der Ochs und sein Hirte by Hynninen’s multi-talented pianist Rolf Gothóni, who is heard in many of the selections. The program concludes with Hynninen’s perusal of both pop standards and tango, both sung in Finnish. Don’t mind Julian and me as we go off to individually nurse our mutual crush!

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 209. Nordic Tracks I: Orchestral Songs

August 8, 2023Art Song, Finnish Opera, Great Baritones, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAage Berntsen, Aksel Schiotz, Allan Pettersson, Andrew Davis, Anne Sofie von Otter, Anssi Karttunen, Antal Dorati, Arca [Alejandra Ghersi], Artharva Veda, Arthur Hjalmar-Borgstrom, Assmund Olavsson Vinje, Aulikki Rautawaara, Aulis Lassinen, Bertil Bokstedt, Birgit Nilsson, Björk, Björk Guðmundsdóttir, Bo Bergman, Carl Nielsen, Christoph Eschenbach, Dawn Upshaw, Dorothy Dorow, Edgar Lee Masters, Elisabeth Soderstrom, Eric Sædén, Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Ernest Thiel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Fartein Valen, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Håkan Hagegård, Hans Bethge, Hans Christian Andersen, Hugo Alfvén, Hugo Hasslo, Jean Sibelius, Jean Siblius, Jenny Blicher-Clausen, Jorma Hynninen, Jussi Jalas, Kaija Saariaho, Karin Boye, Karita Mattila, Kent Nagano, Kirsten Flagstad, Kirsten Schultz, Kjell Ingebretsen, Laci Boldemann, Lassi Nummi, Leif Segerstam, María Sabina, Militiades Caridis, Okko Kamu, Poul Schierbeck, Rued Langgaard, Soile Isokoski, Stig Westerberg, Svend Christian Felumb, Thomas Jensen, Ture Rangström, Viktor Orri Árnason, Viktor Rydberg, Walter Süsskind, Wilhelm Stenhammarcountermelody

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Inspired by my holiday in Denmark last week, today I inaugurate a new series on Countermelody called “Nordic Tracks,” featured music from Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. There has always been a wealth of vocal music from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland, and in this episode I focus exclusively on orchestral songs, a genre which I also featured in a special episode last fall. Of course there are the usual standbys by Grieg and Sibelius and Nielsen, but also featured is the work of less-celebrated composers, beginning with the romantics and post-romantics (Wilhelm Stenhammar, Ture Rangström) and through to the present day (Aulis Sallinen, the late Kaija Saariaho). The singers are some of the greatest ever to raise their voices in song, including Kirsten Flagstad, Soile Isokoski, Birgit Nilsson, Hugo Hasslo, Elisabeth Söderström, Eric Sædén, Karita Mattila, Anne Sofie von Otter, and many others. It’s highly likely that you will encounter singers (Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Kirsten Schultz) and composers (Fartein Valen, Laci Boldemann, Poul Schierbeck) that you may have never heard before (I know I did!) Oh, yes, and it’s all topped off with a bit of Björk!

Episode 88. Jorma Hynninen @ 80: A Celebration in Song

May 9, 2021Art Song, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Schubert, Twentieth Century MusicCesare Bixio, Die schöne Müllerin, Eduard Mörike, Eliahu Inbal, Erik Bergman, Ernst Josephson, Franz Schubert, Fredrik Pacius, Gustav Mahler, Heikki Sarmanto, Hugo Wolf, J.H. Erkko, Jean Sibelius, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Jorma Hynninen, Jorma Panula, Kalevi Kiviniemi, Kiril Kozlovsky, Kullervo Karjalainen, Leif Segerstam, Markku Johansson, Oskar Merikanto, Pentti Koskimies, Ralf Gothoni, Robert Schumann, Selim Palmgren, Soile Isokoski, Taneli Kuusisto, Toivo Kuula, Ulf Söderblom, Väino Hannikainen, Wilhelm Müller, Yrjö Kilpinencountermelody

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A month ago the great Finnish baritone Jorma Hynninen turned 80, and on May 2, his closest collaborator, the Finnish pianist Ralf Gothóni turned 75. We celebrate these two birthdays somewhat belatedly, but no less enthusiastically, with a program comprised primarily of art song, beginning with some choice German Lieder recordings, but ultimately focusing on the songs of their native Finland. We hear Hynninen in performances across the span of his entire career, from 1968 through 2015. Needless to say, their great compatriot Jean Sibelius is foregrounded, but, as is often the case in this country, there are a surprising number of fascinating composers whose work in this genre rewards further exploration. If the music of Oskar Merikanto, Yrjö Kilpinen, Erik Bergman, Selim Palmgren, Fredrik Pacius, Väinö Hannikainen, Taneli Kuusisto, or Toivo Kuula is not familiar to you, prepare to be delighted, surprised, and moved by the depth and variety of their creation. Soile Isokoski also joins the gentlemen in an excerpt from Gothóni’s cantata Der Ochs und sein Hirte. And Hynninen gives further evidence of his versatility with performances of pop standards and tango. Hyvää myöhästynyttä syntymäpäivää, Maestri!

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 67. Good Bye 2020 (and Good Riddance!)

December 27, 2020African American Singers, Art Song, Broadway, Comic Relief, Finnish Opera, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Mirella Freni, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard StraussAlbert Remedios, Anne Howells, Arlene Saunders, Arnold Schoenberg, Arvo Pärt, Aulis Sallinen, Bernhard Landauer, Charles Mackerras, Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Claudia Muzio, Cole Porter, Colin Davis, Das Marienleben, Derek Lee Ragin, Die Liebe der Danae, Dominic Cossa, Elena Gragera, Ellen Schuring, Erwartung, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Esther Hinds, Fun Home, Giacomo Puccini, Gidon Kremer, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Giya Kancheli, Håkon Austbø. Peter Schat, Helga Pilarczyk, Herbert von Karajan, Iphigenia in Brooklyn, Jane Manning, Jerome Kern, Joaquin Rodrigo, John Ferrante, John Wustman, Josep Soler, La Boheme, Licinio Refice, Luciano Pavarotti, Madama Butterfly, Michael Tippett, Mirella Freni, Nicholas Maw, Norma Procter, Norman Del Mar, Paolo Tosti, PDQ Bach, Peter Schickele, Rainer Maria Rilke, Rebecca Luker, Richard Strauss, Robert Craft, Roger Sessions, Seiji Ozawa, Sherrill Milnes, Soile Isokoski, Teresa Berganza, The Midsummer Marriage, The Secret Garden, Walt Whitmancountermelody

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Is there anyone out there who will not be relieved to bid farewell to 2020, this annus horribilis? I know I’ll be delighted to kick its ass out the door. How to make any sense of this year of pandemic, panic, political shenanigans, poverty, racial injustice, climate disaster and general global upheaval? I have no answers, except to return to music. The episode begins with a mini-tribute to Broadway great Rebecca Luker, who lost her hard-fought against ALS on December 23rd. Then I return to the year 1935, since, as I discovered as I was preparing my mom’s birthday episode a couple weeks ago, so many interesting musicians were born in that year. Some of those artists are still with us, others died some time ago, while still others were among the many casualties of 2020. I take a journey through the composers (Arvo Pärt, Aulis Sallinen, Nicholas Maw, Peter Schat, Josep Soler, Giya Kancheli, and Peter Schickele [aka P.D.Q. Bach]) and singers (Helga Pilarczyk, Sherrill Milnes, Dominic Cossa, Arlene Saunders, Albert Remedios, and Teresa Berganza) born in that year, and conclude with those beloved artists Mirella Freni and Luciano Pavarotti (both of whom were also born in 1935) in an extended excerpt from a live 1975 performance of La bohème, that exemplifies near-perfection, operatically speaking. Let’s “tak a cup o’ kindness yet” at the passing of this challenging year as we also look forward to a new year better in every imaginable way than its predecessor!

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, including a new extra episode further exploring today’s topic.

Links to related Countermelody episodes:

Episode 64: Jorma Hynninen in Opera (Features the baritone in several operas by Aulis Sallinen): www.countermelodypodcast.com/episode-64-jorma-hynninen-in-opera

Two episodes in memory of Mirella Freni:

Episode 25: Freni on the Fringe (Freni sings unexpected repertoire): www.countermelodypodcast.com/episode-25-freni-on-the-fringe-mirella-in-memoriam-ii

Episode 24: Freni in Duet (Freni with various distinguished partners): www.countermelodypodcast.com/episode-24-freni-in-duet

And three episodes devoted to great artists that we have lost recently:

Episode 59: In Memoriam Rosanna Carteri: www.countermelodypodcast.com/episode-59-rosanna-carteri

Bonus Episode 5: In Memoriam Christiane Eda-Pierre (available to my Patreon subscribers at any level of support): www.patreon.com/posts/42459803

Episode 15: Hail and Farewell (a tribute to all the great musicians who died in 2019): www.countermelodypodcast.com/episode-15-hail-and-farewell

Episode 58. Richard Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder (Music for a World in Crisis IV)

October 25, 2020Art Song, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard StraussAlceo Galliera, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Bernard Haitink, Christa Ludwig, Claudio Abbado, Daphne, Die Ägyptische Helena, Edda Moser, Elektra, Elisabeth Soderstrom, Fritz Busch, Georg Solti, Heinrich Hollreiser, Hilde Güden, Hugo von Hoffmansthal, Karl Böhm, Leon Goossens, Lucia Popp, Marek Janowski, Margaret Price, Martin Katz, Milan Horvat, Richard Strauss, Rose Pauly, Sena Jurinac, Soile Isokoski, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Walter Berry, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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As the worldwide pandemic renews its threat and creates general unrest, panic, anger, and depression, as well as illness and death for so many, we turn as always to music for solace. One of the central pieces that I have always turned to in times of personal turmoil has been Richard Strauss’s Vier letzte Lieder. Over the years I have listened to and derived comfort from dozens and dozens of recordings and live performances. In this episode, I feature eight different sopranos, (Elisabeth Söderström, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Edda Moser, Soile Isokoski, Margaret Price, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Lucia Popp, and Sena Jurinac), each of whom makes her mark in a distinctive way on one of the four songs in the series. I also read each of the poems in my own English translation. These performances are supplemented by excerpts from Elektra, Daphne, and Die Ägyptische Helena performed by Rose Pauly, Hilde Güden, Christa Ludwig, and Walter Berry, as well as the world premiere 1985 performance of “Malven,” Strauss’s last completed work, sung by Kiri Te Kanawa; and the Oboe Concerto played by Léon Goossens in its first commercial recording from 1947. Featured conductors in the episode include Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink, Zubin Mehta, Marek Janowski, Georg Solti, Karl Böhm, Heinrich Hollreiser, Fritz Busch, Alceo Galliera, and Milan Horvat. A bonus episode for my Patreon supporters will feature twelve more of my favorite sopranos, each one singing one of these autumnal Lieder. As we world citizens face the great unknown, these artists help lift our spirits and reorient our perspective.

Links to my previous Music for a World in Crisis episodes:

Episode 26: Calling You

Episode 27: That Time of Evening

Episode 29: A Social Isolation Schubertiade

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, including a new extra episode further exploring today’s topic.