Tag Archives: Tommaso Grossi

Episode 452. Out of the Office

April 5, 2026Bel canto, Forgotten Divas, Ileana Cotrubas, Listeners' Favorites, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Renata Scotto, Sylvia Sass, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAlexandre Dumas fils, Antonio Somma, Beverly Sills, Carlo Gozzi, Charles Duveyrier, Don Giovanni, Ettore Caimi, Eugène Scribe, Felice Romani, Francesco Maria Piave, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Gilda Cruz-Romo, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Giacosa, Giuseppe Verdi, I due Foscari, I Lombardi, I vespri siciliani, Ileana Cotrubas, La Traviata, Leyla Gencer, Lord Byron, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lucreza Borgia, Luigi Illica, Magda Olivero, Montserrat Caballé, Renata Scotto, Renato Simoni, Sylvia Sass, Temistocle Solera, Tommaso Grossi, Tosca, Un ballo in maschera, Victorien Sardou, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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Hello, fans and listeners! I am “Óut of the Office” for the next two weeks, hence the tongue-in-cheek title of this episode, the first of four recycled potpourri episodes bringing you four records issued on the pirate label Historical Recordings Enterprises in the 1970s. Two of them (including today’s) feature great sopranos of that era, and two of them celebrate “ten top tenors” each. A few years ago, David was preparing to downsize to a new apartment in NYC and one of my tasks was to go through his LPs. In doing so, I discovered the two soprano volumes. Low impact, perhaps, in terms of my prep level, but high calorie in terms of content! Here are some of the greatest sopranos of the 1970s (and earlier) in incendiary live performances which will leave you gasping for air (at least I was!) Included are such favorites of the Opera Queens (of whatever persuasion or orientation) as Montserrat Caballé, Leyla Gencer, Magda Olivero, Renata Scotto, and Beverly Sills in addition to such personal favorites of mine as Ileana Cotrubaș, Sylvia Sass, and Gilda Cruz-Romo. Many of these singers have been featured on their own spotlight episodes on Countermelody but the performances featured here are typical of the pirate releases of the 1970s, rare material in sometimes spotty sound but representing these sopranos at their thrilling best. There’s a lot of Verdi, but also some Puccini, Donizetti, and even Mozart. All told a thrilling and rare collection which I am thrilled to share with my pals as I step away from the mic for a couple weeks!

Countermelody is the 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 414. Sass Returns!

November 23, 2025Arie antiche, Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Crossover, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Schubert, Sylvia Sass, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartA Kékszakállú herceg vára, Aage Haugland, Adalbert von Chamisso, Adriana Lecouvreur, Alessandro Stradella, Alexandre Dumas fils, András Schiff, András Sebestyén, Andrea Maffei, Arturo Colautti, Barry Gibb, Béla Balázs, Béla Bartók, Belfagor, Bluebeard’s Castle, Charles Gounod, Claudio Guastalla, Dusán Sztevanovity, Endre Ady, Ercole Luigi Morselli, Ernest Legouvé, Ervin Lukács, Eugène Scribe, Faust, Francesco Cilea, Francesco Maria Piave, Franz Liszt, Frauenliebe und -leben, Giuseppe Verdi, György G Dénes, György Korondi, Henri Meilhac, I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata, Il Corsaro, Iván Bradányi, Jacques Offenbach, János Bródy, Johann Rumpelmeyer, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, John Henry Mackay, Josef Kenner, Jules Barbier, Kolos Kováts, La Belle Helene, La Traviata, Lamberto Gardelli, Loránt Szücs, Lord Byron, Ludovic Halévy, Macbeth, Mathilde Wesendonck, Michel Carré, Michel Plasson, Miklós Harazdy, Nello Santi, Ottorino Respighi, Patrick Fournillier, Péter Wolf, Pietro Metastasio, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Robert Schumann, Robin Gibb, Sylvia Sass, Temistocle Solera, Tibor Bornai, Tommaso Grossi, Wesendonck-Lieder, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zoltán Kodály, Zsuzsa Konczcountermelody

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Every hundred or so episodes, I feel compelled to pay a return visit to beloved Hungarian diva Sylvia Sass, for there’s always something new and delicious to discover! I’ve cleaned up another former bonus episode and expanded it with a half-dozen extra tracks, from Verdi to Mozart, from her definitive Bluebeard’s Castle to arie antiche topped with a bracing blast of verismo. Then I link up with the previously published bonus episode which samples live excerpts from the two legendary 1976 Verdi performances (Giselda and Violetta) that put Sass on the fast track to operatic superstardom, then pivot to selections from stage works by Offenbach, Respighi, and Gounod that generously flout all of Sylvia’s musical and vocal virtues. Especially treasurable are a number of performances of art song by Liszt, Schumann, Schubert, Strauss, Wagner, and Kodály that explore more deeply her career-long commitment to art song. Plus that, three pop selections recorded between 1983 and 2004, simply irresistible to me and (I hope) to you as well! Sass lovers, you’re in for a feast!

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 262. Sylvia Sass Revisited

May 17, 2024Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, Forgotten Divas, French Opera, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Tenors, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Richard Strauss, Sylvia Sass, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Verismo, Wolfgang Amadeus MozartAdalbert von Chamisso, Alain Lombard, Aldo Ceccato, Alexandre Dumas fils, Alfred Grünwald, Alfred Maria Willner, András Kórodi, András Schiff, András Sebestyén, Andrea Maffei, Andrea Martin, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Béla Bartók, Béni Egressy, Charles Gounod, Cosi fan tutte, Cristina Brancato, Emmerich Kálmán, Endre Ady, Ervin Lukács, Ferenc Erkel, Ferenc Szőnyi, Fernando Previtali, Francesco Maria Piave, Frauenliebe und -leben, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Giorgio Moroder, Giovanni Foiani, Giuseppe Adami, Giuseppe Verdi, Gräfin Mariza, Heinz Reichert, Hunyadi László, I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata, Irene Cara, Iván Bradányi, János Kovács, Jesus Christ Superstar, José Carreras, Joseph von Eichendorff, Jules Barbier, Julius Brammer, Keith Forsey, La rondine, La Traviata, Lamberto Gardelli, Lili Áldor, Lorenzo da Ponte, Lucia di Lammermoor, Ludwig van Beethoven, Macbeth, Maria Grazia Piolatto, Michel Carré, Michel Plasson, Neil Shicoff, Nicola Ghiuselev, Patrizia Dordi, Péter Wolf, Richard Strauss, Richard Woitach, Robert Schumann, Roméo et Juliette, Rosanna Didonè, Ryszard Karczykowski, Salvadore Cammarano, Sylvia Sass, Temistocle Solera, Tim Rice, Tommaso Grossi, Tosca, Vier letzte Lieder, Walter Scott, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zsolt Durkócountermelody

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Several summers ago I published my first episode celebrating the artistry of Sylvia Sass which primarily featured her 1984 album of pop songs sung in Hungarian. At the time I called it, without any irony, the finest crossover album of the 1980s and one of the best of all time. Sass is an artist who continues to engage discourse. Many of the opinions, theories, and input encountered therein are predicated on dissecting the reasons for her short international career. My objective with today’s episode, however, is simply to celebrate Sass’s singing in all its glory, extending from the standard Italian operatic repertoire with which she is most associated through the thorniest contemporary idioms to the subtlest art song to the most refined Mozart singing, with, once again, a nod to the pop material which initially drew me to her. I always say that I believe in giving flowers to our favorite artists when they are still around to receive them, and today’s bouquet is a stunning display full of color and variety humbly presented to one of my favorite divas.

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.