Tag Archives: West Side Story

Episode 245. Tell It to the World – Germany

February 27, 2024African American Singers, Broadway, Crossover, Great Tenors, Interview, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Operetta, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAdolf Dallapozza, Alan Jay Lerner, Alfred Grünwald, Annika Meier, Axel Kottmann, Axel Wandtke, Barry Kosky, Bastian Reiber, Bendix Dethleffsen, Benedict Fellmer, Birger Heymann, Carol Schuler, Carsten Meyer, Claudia Kühne, Cole Porter, Dagmar Manzel, David Savran, Der schwarze Hecht, Der Silbersee, Eberhard Büchner, Eduard Mörike, Eine Frau die weiß was sie will, Emil Sautter, Erik Charrell, Erika Gesell, Ersan Mondtag, Franz Allers, Frederick Loewe, Fritzi Massary, Georg Kaiser, George Kranz, Gerd Natschinski, Gisela May, Gottfried Bretifuss, Guido Masanetz, Günter Neumann, Hanne Roos, Hans Schenker, Hans Schindler, Herbert Fritsch, Herr Fressack und die Bremer Stadtmusikanten, Horst Schulze, Hubert Wild, Hugo Wolf, Im weißen Rößl, In Frisco ist der Teufel los, Ira Gershwin, James Holmes, Jean-Pierre Cornu, Jessica Früh, Johannes Fehring, Julia Koci, Julia Migenes, Jürg Amstein, Jürgen Degenhardt, Karel Deseure, Karin Huebner, Kiss Me Kate, Kitty Carlisle, Koen Schoots, Kurt Weill, La Cage aux Folles, Lady in the Dark, Lawrence Leonard, Lena Schwarz, Leonard Bernstein, Linie 1, Lisa-Katrina Mayer, Louis Verneuil, Magdalena Irmann, Marcel Prawy, Matthias Witting, Mauritius Janowski, Max Hansen, Mein Freund Bunbury, Michael Brandt, Michael Wilhelmi, Miriam Maertens, My Fair Lady, Nehrun Aliev, No Ticket, Olive Moorefield, Oscar Straus, Oscar Wilde, Paul Burkhard, Paul Godwin, Rahel Hubacher, Rainer Luhn, Ralph Benatzky, Ralph Möbius, Ralph Steitz, Richard Baravalle, Richard Wester, Rio Reiser, Robert Hanell, Robert Hunger-Bühler, Roland Gilbert, Roman Hinze, Roman Vinuesa, Ruth Rosenfeld, Stephen Sondheim, Susanne Wolf, Tags: Jerry Herman, Tell It to the World, The Black Rider, Tom Waits, Ton Scheine Scherben, Volker Ludwig, West Side Story, White Horse Inn, William Gaxton, William S. Burroughscountermelody

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Here is the second of a two part series in celebration of David Savran’s new book, Tell It to the World: The Broadway Musical Abroad, a monumental study on transnationalism and the Broadway-style musical. In the first part, David and I spoke about (and played examples from) the rich culture surrounding musicals in South Korea. Today’s episode focuses on Germany and the influx of Broadway musicals since World War II. Although the German-speaking world has a long tradition of popular music theatre, most notably operetta, the arrival of American musicals (beginning in 1955 with Kiss Me, Kate) made a very big splash. In 1961, My Fair Lady opened in West Berlin, became a sensational success, and permanently changed the shape of German musical theatre. Both Kiss Me, Kate and My Fair Lady are part of the first wave of Broadway musicals that have become part of the standard repertoire in state-subsidized theatre (the others include Cabaret, Anatevka (Fiddler on the Roof), West Side Story, La Cage aux Folles, and Hair).

We also look at the development of home-grown Broadway-style musicals in both West and East Germany from the 1960s through the 1980s and their subsequent impact on the work of experimental theatre makers. The next to last chapter of the book studies the musical farces directed by the great theatrical innovator, Herbert Fritsch, since 2011. The last focuses on the work of Barrie Kosky at the Komische Oper Berlin and how he turned that house into the foremost theatre in Germany for innovative re-imaginings of Broadway musicals, with emphasis on iconoclastic stagings by Kosky (and other directors) of the work of Kurt Weill. We play examples from many of the thrilling productions about which David writes which deserve to be known by a much wider audience. Along the way we also listen to nearly a century’s worth of performances by some legendary performers of German operetta and musicals, including Fritzi Massary, Olive Moorefield, Gisela May, Max Hansen, Dagmar Manzel, Horst Schulze, Ruth Rosenfeld, Julia Migenes, Julia Koci, and the late Rainer Luhn.

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 189. Marni Nixon

March 24, 2023Art Song, Crossover, Full-Figured Baroque, In Memoriam, Interview, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Singers in Old Age, Twentieth Century MusicAlan Jay Lerner, Alfred Newman, Allegro (Rodgers and Hammerstein), An Affair to Remember, Andre Previn, Andrew Gold, Anton Webern, Armen Guzelimian, Arnold Schoenberg, Arthur Gleghorn, Audrey Hepburn, Barbara Shik, Boomerang, Chants d’Auvergne, Charles Ives, Charles Prince, Cissy Houston, Claude Debussy, Daniel Roth, Deborah Kerr, Dorothy Remsen, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Emanuel Schikaneder, Ernest Gold, Frank Wedekind, Frederick Loewe, Gabriel Faure, Gary William Friedman, George Antheil, Harold Adamson, Harry Warren, Hildegard Jone, Igor Stravinsky, Jack Marshall, Jerome Kern, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Mauceri, John McCabe, Joseph Canteloube, Leo McCarey, Leonard Bernstein, Leonard Stein, Lincoln Mayorga, Lionel Newman, Lotte Lehmann, Louis Untermeyer, Mace Barrett, Margaret Whiting, Marni Nixon, Mary Poppins, Maurice Maeterlinck, Melissa Errico, My Fair Lady, Natalie Wood, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Verlaine, Pierrot lunaire, Richard Dehmel, Richard M. Sherman, Richard Rodgers, Robert B. Sherman, Robert Craft, Robert Stolz, Sheila Smith, Stan Keen, Stephen Sondheim, Susan Egan, Ted Thurston, The King and I, The Sound of Music, Thomas Bagwell, Tiger Haynes, Tutti Camarata, Vera Schwarz, Victor Griffin, Wesley Kuhnle, West Side Story, Will Holtcountermelody

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Today, in another of my Women’s History Month episodes, I present to you the extraordinarily versatile, even chameleon-like singer and actor Marni Nixon (22 February 1930 – 24 July 2016), who is no doubt best-known today as the so-called “Ghostess with the Mostest.” Born into a musical family in California, she became involved from an early age with the movies, and by a marvelous set of circumstances became The Voice for a number of Hollywood actresses not known for their singing voices, among them Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story, and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Her skill in matching the vocal and speech characteristics of each of these performers is exceptional, but she was so much more than that. She pioneered the work of many 20th century giants, including Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, Charles Ives, and Anton Webern. She hosted a local Seattled children’s television program called Boomerang that netted her four Emmy Awards. She performed on opera stages and concert platforms around the world. She recorded widely, everything from Mary Poppins to Pierrot Lunaire, and in the mid-1970s was the first singer to perform and record Schoenberg’s cabaret songs, his so-called Brettl-Lieder, works that are now standard repertoire. She studied with Viennese soprano Vera Schwarz as well as the iconic Lotte Lehmann, and actively performed and recorded for more than 50 years. Her late career saw an extraordinary return to the musical stage, where she starred in both new work and revivals both on and Off-Broadway. Guiding us along the trajectory of her career is my good friend Thomas Bagwell, currently a coach and conductor at The Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen, who was a colleague and good friend of Marni Nixon’s for the last 25 years of her life. His anecdotes and reminscences are interspersed with examples (often familiar, more often rare) of Marni’s vast recorded legacy, which give testament not only to her versatility, but to her flawless musicality and depth of expression.

Episode 131. Happy Birthday, Reri Grist! (Black History Month 2022)

February 18, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Bel canto, BHM2023WK4, Black History Month, Broadway, Comic Relief, French Opera, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Happy Birthday, Lieder, Needle Drop, Opera in Translation, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAchim von Arnim, Alessandro Scarlatti, Andre Previn, Ariadne auf Naxos, Bernhard Paumgartner, Claude Debussy, Clemens Brentano, Cosi fan tutte, Denis Vaughan, Der Rosenkavalier, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die schweigsame Frau, Don Pasquale, Donald Grobe, Dory Langdon Previn, Francesco Molinari-Pradelli, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Antonio Perti, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Patanè, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Hilde Güden, Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Igor Stravinsky, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Il re pastore, Judith Raskin, Karl Böhm, Kurt Böhme, L’elisir d’amore, Lakmé, Le nozze di Figaro, Léo Delibes, Leonard Bernstein, Luciano Pavarotti, Luigi Alva, Mathieu Lange, Max Goberman, Nicolai Gedda, Paul Verlaine, Pierre Thibaud, Reri Grist, Richard Lewis, Richard Strauss, Rigoletto, Robert Craft, Sena Jurinac, Silvio Varviso, Stefan Zweig, Stephen Sondheim, Un ballo in maschera, West Side Story, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Zubin Mehtacountermelody

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The great African American coloratura Reri Grist was born on leap year 1932. We celebrate her upcoming 90th birthday with a tribute featuring many of her greatest roles and recordings. After appearing as Consuelo in the 1957 Broadway premiere of West Side Story, and encouraged by Leonard Bernstein, Grist began a career in opera that took her around the world to all of the greatest opera houses. Reri Grist was the perfect exemplar of the so-called “-ina” roles: soubrette parts in Mozart and Strauss operas (Blondchen, Susanna, Despina, Zerlina, Zerbinetta, and Sophie), as well as the comic operas of Donizetti and Rossini (including Adina, Norina, and Rosina). This episode features her in most of these roles and concludes with the glorious finale of the second act of Richard Strauss’s 1935 comedy Die schweigsame Frau, one of her most notable successes. Vocal guest stars today include Christa Ludwig, Luciano Pavarotti, Sena Jurinac, Nicolai Gedda, Gwyneth Jones, Luigi Alva, Judith Raskin, Donald Grobe, and Richard Lewis. Whether you are celebrating 90 years or 22-and-a-half leap years, we celebrate you, Frau Grist, and offer heartfelt thanks for the joys that you have offered us.

Episode 116. Pop Songs by Lieder Singers

November 19, 2021African American Singers, Behind the Iron Curtain, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Singers of Color, Sylvia SassA Little Night Music, Allegro (Rodgers & Hammerstein), Andre Previn, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andrzej Hiolski, Anna Moffo, Anne Sofie von Otter, Anneliese Rothenberger, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Astor Piazzolla, Barbara Hendricks, Brad Mehldau, Brigitte Fassbaender, Broadway, Bryn Terfel, Buddy DeSylva, Claude François, Cole Porter, Consuelo Velazquez, crossover, Dieter Reith, Donald Gramm, Duke Ellington, Eduard Künneke, Elly Ameling, Ennio Morricone, Evelyn Lear, Felicia Weathers, Franz Grothe, Frieder Weissmann, Fritz Wunderlich, George London, Gerard Souzay, Gloria Davy, Grace Bumbry, Guido Masanetz, Harold Arlen, Harry Warren, Heikki Sarmanto, Helen Donath, Hermann Prey, J. Fred Coots, Jacques Revaux, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven, Jerzy Harald, Johnny Green, Joni Mitchell, José Van Dam, Jule Styne, Jürgen Hermann, Karita Mattila, Kim Borg, Klaus Donath, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Leontyne Price, Lotte Lehmann, Louis van Dijk, Mack Gordon, Maxwell Anderson, Monty Alexander, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Bonneau, Paul Daniel, Peter Cetera, Peter Schreier, Péter Wolf, pop standards, Regine Crespin, Richard Rodgers, Richard Tauber, Robert Katscher, Roberta Alexander, Roland Shaw, Skitch Henderson, South Pacific, Stephen Sondheim, Sylvia Sass, Thomas Stewart, West Side Story, Willi Stech, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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This week I feature nearly a century’s worth of recordings of pop music by singers who also, and in some cases primarily, were great singers of art song. Many of my favorite singers figure into the mix, including Hermann Prey (who was the inspiration for this episode), Grace Bumbry, Helen Donath, Roberta Alexander, Elly Ameling, Peter Schreier, Lotte Lehmann, Gérard Souzay, Brigitte Fassbaender, Bryn Terfel, Richard Tauber, José van Dam, Peter Schreier, Leontyne Price, Donald Gramm, and many, many others. They perform everything from Broadway standards to jazz to Deutsche Schlager to tangos to the Great American Songbook to 80s power ballads. This episode was such a joy to put together and I hope that you will enjoy this cornucopia of vocal and interpretive bounty.

Episode 57. Francisco Araiza @ 70

October 18, 2020Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Crossover, Giuseppe Verdi, Happy Birthday, Ileana Cotrubas, Lieder, Needle Drop, Operetta, SchubertÁdám Fischer, Alzira, Andrea Chénier, Carlo Maria Giulini, Charles Gounod, Claudio Abbado, Colin Davis, Cosi fan tutte, Daniel García Blanco, Das Lied von der Erde, Der Rosenkavalier, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die Zauberflöte, Don Pasquale, Edith Mathis, Eduardo Mata, Fernando Lozano, Fidelio, Francisco Araiza, Franz Lehár, Franz Schubert, Gabriele Ferro, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Kuhn, Heinz Wallberg, Herbert von Karajan, Idomeneo, Ileana Cotrubas, Irma González, Irwin Gage, Jacques Offenbach, Jean Lemaire, Jésus “Chucho” Monge Ramírez, Jules Massenet, L’elisir d’amore, La Boheme, La Cenerentola, Lamberto Gardelli, Leonard Bernstein, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Lucia Popp, Ludwig van Beethoven, Manuel M. Ponce, mariachi, Mariella Devia, México Lindo, Ralf Weikert, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Rolando Panerai, Roméo et Juliette, Stefan Soltesz, Stephen Sondheim, Umberto Giordano, West Side Story, Winterreise, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartcountermelody

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On October 4, the great Mexican tenor Francisco Araiza celebrated his 70th birthday. On that day I promised my listeners a full episode on this exceptional artist in the very near future. And here it is! I’m thrilled to trace Araiza’s career path, from his studies with the great soprano Irma González through his early career encounters with Herbert von Karajan. Through the 1980s through the 1990s, Araiza was simply the greatest lyric tenor on the planet. I share live and studio recordings of his nonpareil performances of Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti, and the heroes of the French repertoire through his assumption of heavier repertoire including Verdi, Puccini, Beethoven, and Wagner. Though his critics dubbed these journeys ill-advised, I would argue that Araiza’s singing, always rooted in a very secure technique, in fact followed the natural trajectory of his voice and allowed him to retain vocal health and longevity. I also highlight his deeply-felt Lieder performances, including an exceptional live performance of Schubert’s Winterreise.

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!

Episode 54. Transatlantic Crossover (Crossover Classics IX)

September 27, 2020African American Singers, Broadway, Crossover, Needle Drop, Operetta, Pop IconsABBA, Anna Moffo, Arlene Saunders, Barbara Hendricks, Barry McDaniel, Carl Millöcker, Carrie Jacobs-Bond, Charles Holland, Cole Porter, crossover, David Shire, Donald Grobe, Duke Ellington, Ennio Morricone, Felicia Weathers, Fletcher Henderson, Franz Lehár, Fred Ebb, George Gershwin, Geraldine Farrar, Gilbert Bécaud, Grace Bumbry, Hans May, Hans-Arno Simon, Ira Gershwin, J.B. Lenoir, Jarmila Novotna, Jerome Kern, Jerry Bock, Jimmy Webb, Johann Strauss II, John Kander, Kenneth Spencer, Lawrence Winters, Leonard Bernstein, Lotte Lehmann, Margaret Tynes, Maria Ewing, Mary Lewis, Muriel Smith, musicals, operetta, Reri Grist, Richard Maltby Jr., Robert Trehy, Roberta Alexander, Rodgers and Hammerstein, schlager, Sheldon Harnick, Shirley Verrett, South Pacific, Stephen Sondheim, Tatiana Troyanos, West Side Story, Wilbur Evans, Willy Mattescountermelody

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Today is the final episode of the Crossover Classics series and the final episode of Season One of Countermelody. The subject is US-American singers who spent significant portions of their lives and careers in Europe. I begin with an historical survey of early Twentieth Century singers who emigrated from the US to Europe (Geraldine Farrar, Mary Lewis) as well as from Europe to the US (Jarmila Novotná, Lotte Lehmann). Singers are featured in operetta (Barry McDaniel, Donald Grobe, Arlene Saunders), musicals (Reri Grist, Tatiana Troyanos, Wilbur Evans, Robert Trehy, Maria Ewing), jazz (Margaret Tynes, Charles Holland, Shirley Verrett), and pop, soul, and schlager (Lawrence Winters, Anna Moffo, Kenneth Spencer, Grace Bumbry, Felicia Weathers). The range of composers represented is enormous, from Cole Porter to Carrie Jacobs-Bond to Jimmy Webb to Rodgers and Hammerstein to ABBA to Duke Ellington to Gilbert Bécaud to J.B. Lenoir to Franz Lehár. The tone ranges from tongue in cheek to dead serious, from the quasi-bel canto pop vocalism of Muriel Smith to the intimate, Lieder-like shadings of Roberta Alexander to the raw blues stylings of Barbara Hendricks. Tune in next week for an sneak preview of Season Two.

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!

Episode 46. Julia Migenes (Crossover Classics II)

August 2, 2020Crossover, Needle Drop, OperettaAdolf Dallapozza, Alban Berg, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Arline Woods, Astor Piazzolla, Berg Lulu, Bill Withers, Bob Merrill, Brent Ellis, Charles Strouse, Der Vetter aus Dingsda, Eduard Künneke, Ernesto Lecuona, Evening Primrose, Fiddler on the Roof, Francis Lai, Francis Poulenc, Franz Lehár, Funny Girl, Georges Pretre, Giacomo Aragall, Giacomo Puccini, Heitor Villa-Lobos, I Remember (Evening Primrose), Ileana Cotrubas, Im Prater blüh’n wieder die Bäume, Ira Gershwin, Isaac Albéniz, Jean Cocteau, Jerry Bock, Jule Styne, Julia Migenes, Kurt Weill, La Boheme, La voix humaine, Lecuona The Breeze and I, Lehár Friederike, Leigh Harline, Leonard Bernstein, Loulou Gasté, Luiz Bonfá, Manhã de Carnaval, Maximiano Valdes, Michael Kamen, Michel Legrand, Morris Albert, Ned Washington, People (Funny Girl), Rags (Strouse & Schwartz), Richard Strauss, Robert Stolz, Schicksalsmelodie, Sheldon Harnick, Silvio Varviso, Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, Strauss Salome, The Windmills of Your Mind, Theme from Love Story, Tim Rice, Weill Lady in the Dark, West Side Story, When You Wish upon a Star (Pinocchio)countermelody

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Today’s featured artist, the cosmopolitan yet earthy Julia Migenes, is certainly one of the most compelling and successful of all “crossover artists.” Beginning early in her career, she assumed roles in musicals, operetta, opera, and beyond that showcased her versatility and contributed to her worldwide eminence. Her multilingual facility and fascinating cultural background rendered her a true artistic chameleon. I explore in particular her success in the European market, particularly Germany and France. This episode features Migenes in live and studio recordings over the course of her entire career (showcasing in particular her 1980 release, Latin Lady) in shows ranging from West Side Story to Salome, and composers from Astor Piazzolla to Richard Strauss. A celebration of a peripatetic, treasurable, idiosyncratic artist who never was afraid to be anything but herself.

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.” Frequent 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!