Tag Archives: Xavier Montsalvatge

Episode 459. The Art of Steven Blier

May 2, 2026African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2026, Broadway, Canadian Singers, Comic Relief, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Honor Your Mentors, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Queer Pride, Schubert, Singers of Color, Spirituals, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Young SingersAlbert Roussel, Andre Previn, Andy Razaf, Arias and Barcarolles, Billy Strayhorn, Brett Polegato, Carlos López Buchardo, Catherine Martin, Charles Ives, Chris DeBlasio, Christopher Trakas, Cinco canciones negras, Corinne Winters, Cyndia Sieden, Darius de Haas, Eduard Toldrà, Emile Louis, Emmanuel Chabrier, Ernst Schulze, Eubie Blake, Eugène Adenis, Federico De Michaelis, Felix Gasbarra, Franz Schubert, George Gershwin, Greg Utzig, Gustavo Caraballo, Hal Cazalet, Haroldo Barbosa, Ira Gershwin, James Baker, Janet de Almeida, Jennifer Aylmer, Jerome Kern, John LaTouche, John Musto, Johnny Mercer, Joseph Kaiser, Joshua Blue, Jules Massenet, Kurt Ollmann, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Lisa Vroman, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Louise Bogan, Marc Blitzstein, Marianne Moore, Mark Adamo, Mark Campbell, Michael Barrett, Moses Hogan, New York Festival of Song, Niccolò Machiavelli, NYFOS, P.G. Wodehouse, Pardon My English, Paul de Kock, Paul Demouth, Perry Brass, Rafael Merello, Recuerdo, René Chalupt, Sasha Cooke, Shea Owens, Sitting Pretty, Stephanie Blythe, Steven Blier, Sylvia McNair, The AIDS Quilt Songbook, Trinitat Catasús, Virgil Thomson, William Burden, William Sharp, Xavier Montsalvatge, Yvette Guilbertcountermelody

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There was only one way to follow up my interview with the iconic, the unique Steven Blier published earlier this week, and that is with an episode dedicated to his dazzling at the keyboard and his accomplishments as the co-founder and artistic director of NYFOS, the New York Festival of Song, which is just concluding its 38th season. Going all the way back to Steve’s first recordings in the late 1980s, I have compiled a setlist that is a testament to his love of song, and his ever-expanding interests in that field. Performances both live and studio, many of them straight from Steve’s own archives, feature composers ranging from Franz Schubert to Leonard Bernstein, Eubie Blake to Albert Roussel, Eduard Toldrà to Marc Blitzstein, and Billy Strayhorn to Kurt Weill , including work commissioned specifically by and for Blier and NYFOS. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. These are performed by vocal colleagues of Steven’s past and present, including William Sharp, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Darius de Haas, Stephanie Blythe, Christopher Trakas, Corinne Winters, Kurt Ollmann, Lisa Vroman, Federico De Michelis, Joshua Blue, Sasha Cooke, Brett Polegato, and many, many others. Kudos to this magnificent artist who has enriched all of our lives!

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 459. The Art of Steven Blier

April 1, 2026African American Singers, Art Song, Black History Month, Black History Month 2026, Broadway, Canadian Singers, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Honor Your Mentors, In Memoriam, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Schubert, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century Music, Twentieth Century Opera, Young SingersAlbert Roussel, Andre Previn, Andy Razaf, Arias and Barcarolles, Billy Strayhorn, Brett Polegato, Carlos López Buchardo, Catherine Martin, Charles Ives, Chris DeBlasio, Christopher Trakas, Cinco canciones negras, Corinne Winters, Cyndia Sieden, Darius de Haas, Eduard Toldrà, Emile Louis, Emmanuel Chabrier, Ernst Schulze, Eubie Blake, Eugène Adenis, Federico De Michaelis, Felix Gasbarra, Franz Schubert, George Gershwin, Greg Utzig, Gustavo Caraballo, Hal Cazalet, Haroldo Barbosa, Ira Gershwin, James Baker, Janet de Almeida, Jennifer Aylmer, Jerome Kern, John LaTouche, John Musto, Johnny Mercer, Joseph Kaiser, Joshua Blue, Jules Massenet, Kurt Ollmann, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Lisa Vroman, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Louise Bogan, Marc Blitzstein, Marianne Moore, Mark Adamo, Mark Campbell, Michael Barrett, Moses Hogan, New York Festival of Song, Niccolò Machiavelli, NYFOS, P.G. Wodehouse, Pardon My English, Paul de Kock, Paul Demouth, Perry Brass, Rafael Merello, Recuerdo, René Chalupt, Sasha Cooke, Shea Owens, Sitting Pretty, Stephanie Blythe, Steven Blier, Sylvia McNair, The AIDS Quilt Songbook, Trinitat Catasús, Virgil Thomson, William Burden, William Sharp, Xavier Montsalvatge, Yvette Guilbertcountermelody

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There was only one way to follow up my interview with the iconic, the unique Steven Blier published earlier this week: with an episode dedicated to recordings of his exceptional pianism, necessarily highlighting his accomplishments as the co-founder and artistic director of NYFOS, the New York Festival of Song, which is just concluding its 38th season. Going all the way back to Steve’s first recordings in the late 1980s, I have compiled a setlist that is a testament to his love of song and his ever-expanding interests in that field. Performances both live and studio, many of them straight from Steve’s own archives, feature composers ranging from Franz Schubert to Eubie Blake, including work commissioned specifically by and for Blier and NYFOS. These are performed by vocal colleagues of Steven’s past and present, including William Sharp, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Darius de Haas, Stephanie Blythe, Christopher Trakas, Corinne Winters, Kurt Ollman, Lisa Vroman, Federico De Michelis, Joshua Blue, Sasha Cooke, Brett Polegato, and many, many others. Kudos to this magnificent artist who has enriched all of our lives!

Episode 411. Orchestral Song [International Edition]

November 15, 2025Art Song, Behind the Iron Curtain, Canadian Singers, Forgotten Divas, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Rescue Mission, Twentieth Century MusicAlexander Zemlinsky, Aminollah Hossein, Andréa Guiot, Andrzej Markowski, Antonio Rubino, Ben Glassberg, Bernard Kruysen, Bohuslav Martinů, Canto a Sevilla, Cinco canciones negras, Combat del somni, Coral Island, Dagmar Pecková, Deità silvane, Dorothy Dorow, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Emanuel Lešehrad, Fartein Valen, Frederic Mompou, Gabriel Suovanen, Gerald Finley, Gottfried Keller, Günter von Kannen, Halina Łukomska, Hannu Lintu, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, Jean-Claude Hartemann, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Jiří Bělohlávek, Joaquín Turina, José Muñoz San Román, Josep Janés, Julian Przyboś, Kaija Saariaho, Karol Stryja, Karol Szymanowski, Kazimierz Serocki, Laszlo Heltay, Lebendig begraben, Leif Segerstam, Lyrische Symphonie, Makota Ohka, Marianne Crebassa, Militiades Caridis, Oczy Powietrza, Othmar Schoeck, Ottorino Respighi, Pieśni muezina szalonego, Pilar Lorengar, Rabindranath Tagore, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Rafael Merello, Ralf Weikert, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rie Hamada, Robert Tear, Ryszard Minkiewicz, Saadi Shirazi, Songs of the Lovesick Muezzin, Tōru Takemitsu, Victoria de los Angeles, Walt Whitman, Xavier Montsalvatge, Yuzo Toyama, Zoltan Peskocountermelody

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An old LP of Tōru Takemitsu’s Coral Island and a conversation with a new friend about American Exceptionalism inspired today’s episode, the “International Edition” of my ongoing series on Orchestral Song. Coral Island is still here, although I ended up using a later (and better) recording than the one in my collection. I also feature the work of composers Karol Szymanowski, Augustyn Bloch, Aminollah Hossein, Kaija Saariaho, Frederic Mompou, Ottorino Respighi, Fartein Valen, Bohuslav Martinů, and many others, performed by Gerald Finley, Andréa Guiot, Robert Tear, Dorothy Dorow, Halina Łukomska, Victoria de los Ángeles, Andrzej Hiolski, Bernard Kruysen, and Marianne Crebassa, for starters! I have been enjoying so much preparing these recent “potpourri” episodes, and this one is particularly chock full of surprises and discoveries!

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 377. Joan Caplan Memorial Tribute

July 18, 2025Art Song, Bel canto, Comic Relief, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Contraltos, Honor Your Mentors, In Memoriam, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Operetta, Queer Pride, Rescue Mission, Twentieth Century MusicAchim von Arnim, Antonio Salvi, Ariodante, Christian Reinhold, Cinco canciones negras, Clemens Brentano, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Dido and Aeneas, Felice Romani, Gaetano Donizetti, Georg Friedrich Daumer, George Frideric Handel, Giambattista Martini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gustav Mahler, Harold Aks, Henri Meilhac, Henry Purcell, Hugo Conrat, Jacopo Ferretti, Jacques Offenbach, Jephtha, Joan Caplan, Johann Adolf Hasse, Johannes Brahms, L’Olimpiade, Lieder und Gesänge aus der Jugendzeit, Lucrezia Borgia, Ludovic Halévy, Ludovico Arioso, Martin Pearlman, Messa da Requiem, Nahum Tate, Newell Jenkins, Nicola Rescigno, Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Prosper Mérimée La Périchole, Rafael Alberti, Ruth Rabinow, Stephen Simon, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, Thomas Morell, Torquato Tasso, Victor Hugo, Wallace Stevens, Xavier Montsalvatge, Zigeunerliedercountermelody

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This past April, my former voice teacher and treasured friend Joan Caplan died at the age of 92. A few weeks ago, family and friends organized a memorial gathering for which I produced a short audio tribute, which is heard at the beginning of this episode. Before the event, we heard a number of recordings of Joan in her prime that absolutely knocked me on my ear. I was kindly given copies of these recordings from which I have fashioned an expanded episode in her honor. Most of these recordings have simply never been heard before, but I know that Joan was very proud of the work that she did during her active singing career, before she dedicated herself wholeheartedly to her teaching. Her rare live recordings of arias by Handel, Verdi, Donizetti, Purcell, and Hasse display her magnificent technique, while excerpts from her song recitals, including music by Brahms, Mahler, Montsalvatge, and Glanville-Hicks, display her versatility as well as her interpretive insight. I also share personal insights and reminiscences of Joan which will, I hope, reveal the special relationship that I shared with her, which many of her students, friends, and chosen family also experienced. When I last visited Joan, I promised her that I would do what I could to ensure that she would be properly remembered. With this episode, I do my part, to the best of my ability, to keep that promise.

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.