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Countermelody

DANIEL GUNDLACH

Countermelody devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song.

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Friday · 1 hr 21 min
Episode 490. José van Dam chante l’éternité
Today we commemorate the quarter century since 9/11, an event that sent shockwaves throughout the world as it was transpiring (and who can forget where they were in those first awful hours?) And yet the aftermath has been so much worse than one could even imagine at the time, and with no end in sight (witness the right-wing populism and divisiveness which have become the order of the day). My heart and spirit cry out in pain every single day and the only consolation, the only balm, my soul receives these days is through art, and particularly for me, as for many of us, music. 2026 has also seen an inordinate number of deaths of people who made a different in the world. As I struggled to come up with a theme and a setlist for today’s episode, one figure kept reappearing at the door: Belgian bass-baritone José van Dam, who died last February at the age of 85. Though I was a lifelong admirer of the singer, and was deeply saddened by his death, I have not yet presented a suitable memorial tribute in his honor. His voice exuded a warmth and humanity that gave his performances and portrayals a particular glow. So I have chosen to present him today singing music appropriate to this solemn occasion: songs of Ravel, Schubert, Gounod, Schumann, Fauré, Brahms, Ibert, Wolf, Mahler, and Trenet; supplemented by arias and scenes by Verdi, Massenet, Landowski, and Messiaen. I’m keeping chatter to a bare minimum on this episode, letting the music, the texts, and van Dam’s voice and artistry, create a patina of consolation for all the complicated emotions raised by this day of mourning and meditation. 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.
S7 · E489
September 6 · 1 hr 39 min
Episode 489. The Infinite Variety of Regina Resnik
On August 30 we observed (posthumously) the 104th birthday of the unique, the phenomenal Regina Resnik, who died in 2013 just a few short days before her 91st birthday. This commemoration, combined with my recent acquisition (at the flea market in my Berlin neighborhood) of the LP of her single operatic recital recording, provided the impetus for this long-overdue Countermelody celebration of an exceptional career that spanned nearly 50 years and encompassed exceptional portrayals on the world’s operatic stages, Broadway, and the concert platform. This episode presents Resnik in the very earliest days of her career as a soprano singing arias from Macbeth, Zazà, and La Reine de Saba, then following her vocal trajectory downward into the dramatic mezzo fach in which she celebrated her greatest career triumphs. Excerpts from her “On the Wings of Opera” operatic recital offer a fuller picture of her in that repertoire, in arias of Saint-Saëns, Wagner, Verdi, and Tchaikovsky. Then we dip into a rare 1968 recording of art song with pianist Richard Woitach, which offers a dazzling program of French, Geman, Russian, and Spanish song, amply sampled. The program ends with Resnik in three Broadway selections, including live stage performances of both Cabaret and A Little Night Music. I’m thrilled to pay tribute to this iconic New Yorker whose incandescent artistic sensibility turned everything she touched into gold. 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.
S3 · E488
August 29 · 1 hr 38 min
Episode 488. Ileana Cotrubaș In Memoriam
Ileana Cotrubaș, the exquisite Romanian soprano, departed this earthly plane last week at the age of 87. She was one of the operatic artists I most revered and respected, both for her musical and artistic integrity and for her constant search for greater dramatic truth in her portrayals. Her characterizations of Violetta, Mimì, Gilda, Adina, Susanna, and Pamina, among others, were peerless. As her career developed, she assumed “bigger” repertoire, in which, on her own terms, she was frequently as successful as her earlier repertoire. This episode, wrung straight from my mourning heart, celebrates all aspects of her operatic repertoire, including late career additions such as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Desdemona in Otello, and Charlotte in Werther, the role in which she took her farewell from the operatic stage. In seeking a framework in which to commemorate her, I chose duets exclusively. And, oh, the singers with whom she is partnered: José Carreras, Vladimir Atlantov, Giacomo Aragall, Franco Bonisolli, Alfredo Kraus, Luis Lima, Barry McCauley, Janet Baker, Brigitte Fassbaender, Frederica von Stade, James Bowman, Ruth Welting, Renato Bruson, Tom Krause, José van Dam, Christian Boesch, Matteo Manuguerra, Leo Nucci: the absolute crème de la crème of the great singers of that era. She will be forever remembered and held dearly in the hearts of all who loved her singing and artistry. 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.
S7 · E487
August 21 · 1 hr 49 min
Episode 487. Jill Gomez In Memoriam
Jill Gomez, the brilliant, intrepid Trinidadian-British soprano, known for the last fifteen years of her life as Jill Carnegy, Countess of Northesk, died on August 11, just a few weeks short of her 84th birthday. She is a singer that I have loved and followed for decades, and one whose recordings I collected assiduously and that I had earmarked for a special celebratory episode, one that, like with Ben Luxon a few years ago, is instead being offered as a posthumous tribute. Not nearly as universally known as her younger colleague Felicity Lott, who died this spring, Gomez was a similarly eclectic, adventurous artist. Her accomplishments covered the gamut from the classiest, most pristine singer of Baroque music, to the most deep-delving recitalist, from the most playful purveyor of crossover material to the creator of roles in challenging contemporary operas including Michael Tippett’s The Knot Garden in 1970 and Thomas Adès’s Powder Her Face 25 years later. She also sang a wide range of operatic parts (primarily in the UK) from Mozart to Massenet. This episode, which includes collaborations with Robert Tear, Pierre Boulez, Franz Grundheber, John Constable, Ria Bollen, Felicity Palmer, and Benjamin Luxon, presents as wide-ranging a portrait in sound as you are ever likely to encounter anywhere, including excerpts from all the works mentioned above, to music by Ravel, Donizetti, Turina, Mahler, Schumann, Rameau, Wolf, Monteverdi, Debussy, Pergolesi, and Britten. The icing on the cake is an intimate and exquisite rendition of Satie’s “Je te veux” that will remain in your mind’s ear long after the episode is over. 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.
S7 · E486
August 14 · 1 hr 41 min
Episode 486. The Other Maureen Forrester
This episode celebrates one of the twentieth century’s great contraltos, Canadian icon, Maureen Forrester, an exceptionally versatile, profoundly communicative artist. This past July 25 would have been her 96th birthday. It would be a nearly insurmountable challenge to present all aspects of her artistry in a single episode, so today I have chosen to bestow upon her a title which might surprise you: I am crowning her Queen of Crossover. Clearly both Eileen and Eleanor might look askance at such a claim, but among Forrester’s fellow Canadians, I don’t think anyone can challenge Queen Maureen’s title. Central to this episode is a delicious 1982 issue on Canadian RCA entitled The Other Me, which features la nostra regina canadese in a delectable assortment of pop favorites, ranging from standards from the Great American Songbook (Berlin, Porter, Gershwin, Arlen, Schmidt and Jones, Loesser). In addition, I’ve included a generous sampling of her 1987 recording with pianist John Arpin entitled From Kern to Sondheim: Great American Theatre Songs, as well as a smattering of the folk song arrangements (mostly of Canadian material arranged by Canadian composers) which formed such a vital part of her programs. Her fellow grande dame of Canadian song, soprano Lois Marshall, even joins her in duet on one of those folk songs. I dedicate today’s episode to the memory of my friend Tom Muraco, who collaborated frequently with Maureen and positively adored her. 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.
S7 · E485
August 8 · 1 hr 39 min
Episode 485. Anneliese Rothenberger singt Stolz und Lehár
The theme of today’s episode is “escapism,” a valuable and even necessary pursuit in the world in which we find ourselves currently existing. What more glorious escapism could there be then Operettenlieder by composers Robert Stolz and Franz Lehár as performed by beloved German soprano Anneliese Rothenberger (1919 – 2010). She was one of the most prominent and glamorous musical figures in Germany by virtue of her resplendent voice and splendidly vivid performances, as well as her ubiquitous presence on German-language television in the 1970s. For today’s episode I draw primarily on two EMI releases,1969’s Anneliese Rothenberger singt Robert Stolz and 1970’s Anneliese Rothenberger singt Franz Lehár, the latter a compilation released in honor of Lehár’s 100th birthday, all recorded at various points in the 1960s. Along the way, I consider the lives and careers of both composers, and contrast Stolz’s authentic heroism during the Nazi era with Lehár’s sometimes egrerious opportunism. And yet, in keeping with today’s theme of escapism, the music of both of these composers provides us with a temporary respite from today’s cares, especially as performed by the resplendent Rothenberger. 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.
S7 · E484
August 1 · 1 hr 38 min
Episode 484. Bubbles on the Nile, Handel Edition
Today’s episode is the second of my so-called “Bubbles on the Nile” series, performances by Beverly Sills (and a host of other divas) in unexpected roles. While the first episode drew on the contents of a 1985 release on the Legendary Recordings label with the same title, today’s episode focuses exclusively on the music of George Frideric Handel with an entirely Gundlach-generated setlist. Sills is featured not as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare, the role that made her a star, but in two other Handel roles which she only rarely performed: Ginevra in Ariodante, and the title role in Semele. There follow nearly two dozen additional singers singing unexpected Handel roles, beginning with Alma Gluck all the way back in 1916. Other singers include Claudia Muzio, Elisabeth Rethberg, Lotte Lehmann, Florence Quartararo, Teresa Żylis-Gara, Hanne-Lore Kuhse, Christa Ludwig, Ileana Cotrubaș, Christiane Eda-Pierre, Shirley Verrett, Martina Arroyo, Grace Bumbry, Victoria de los Ángeles, and Reri Grist. There is a special section featuring six unexpected performers of the role of Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare: Renata Tebaldi, Leontyne Price, Montserrat Caballé, Renata Scotto, Onelia Fineschi, and Virginia Zeani. Other Handel works represented include Rinaldo, Hercules, Alcina, Atalanta, Amadigi, Judas Maccabaeus, and Radamisto. Hearing these singers take a determinedly “old school” approach to Handel’s music is fascinating, diverting, challenging, sometimes amusing, and always revelatory. And overseeing it all is our beloved Bubbles! 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.
S7 · E483
July 24 · 1 hr 28 min
Episode 483. Adele Addison @ 101
Today beloved African American soprano Adele Addison, still “sharp as a tack” according to one of her close friends, celebrates her 101st birthday. And today, just as I did four years ago in honor of her 97th birthday, I celebrate this trailblazing icon with a wide-ranging program which focuses on her specialties: baroque and contemporary music, with a few additional surprises along the way. Thus alongside key works by Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel, we also hear work that Addison pioneered and recorded by composers such as Noël Lee, Harold Schramm, Lester Trimble, Richard Donovan, Benjamin Lees, Paul Hindemith, Marc Bucci, Aaron Copland, Francis Poulenc (whose Gloria she sang in its Boston world première), and Lukas Foss, assisted by conductors Charles Munch, Leonard Bernstein, Robert Shaw, Milton Katims and Frederic Waldman, fellow soprano Saramae Endich, and a plethora of the greatest instrumentalists of the era. Throughout Addison displays her bright, clear timbre, subtle text pointing, and radiant connection to whatever style of music she was singing. I am particularly honored to present to you once again a singer who I encountered over and over in my early listening experience and who continues to provide a glowing inspiration through her legendary recordings. 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.
S7 · E482
July 21 · 1 hr 19 min
Episode 482. Georges Thill: French Twist
A further celebration of great French singers today, featuring one of the greatest of them all, tenor Georges Thill (1897 – 1984). But as always with Countermelody, there’s a difference: Most of Thill’s recordings are, indeed, in French, and he is such a masterful purveyor of the language that it is always a delight to hear him sing in his native tongue. However, and here’s the “French Twist” of the episode’s title, though Thill sings entirely in French in this episode, at no point is he singing music that was originally set in French. Whether the original language be German (Wagner, Flotow, Lehár, Schubert), Italian (Verdi, Puccini, Leoncavallo), even English and Russian: it’s all sung here in French translation. It makes for a fascinating program and proves that Thill was just as effective a Verdian and Wagnerian as he was in the French operatic repertoire. Vocal guest stars include the Belgian baritone José Beckmans and the exceptional French soprano Germaine Martinelli. 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.
S7 · E481
July 18 · 1 hr 29 min
Episode 481. The Young Eleanor Steber
Today, July 17, 2026, is the one-hundred-and-twelfth birthday of Eleanor Steber, in the opinion of many, the finest American soprano that ever lived. Her combination of technical prowess, (which allowed her to blend vocal power with seamless coloratura facility), faultless diction, vocal beauty, musical versatility, and complete and utter sincerity of expression, were combined in one exquisite artistic entity who now is fully acknowledged and appreciated for the great artist that she was. Since I have already done numerous (nearly countless) episodes on this paragon, today I have chosen to take a slightly different approach: I am focusing on performances from the earliest years of her career. I have divided my setlist into several sections: first, a pair of stunningly-vocalized opera arias; then favorites from operettas and musicals; followed by a group of powerful performances of oratorio arias of Brahms, Bach, Mendelssohn, Haydn, and Rossini; concluding with light classical favorites such as would have been heard in her radio and television appearances on The Voice of Firestone. In keeping with the best Countermelody tradition, many of today’s selections are quite rare; all of them will provide my listeners with a satisfaction that can only come from a vocalist of the very highest skilll and achievement. 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.
July 14 · 1 hr 43 min
Episode 480. Bacquier Encore
Allons, enfants de la patrie! Let’s celeberate Bastille Day in style! And what better exemplar of the power and élan of French music than the great Gabriel Bacquier?! It was only about a year ago that I published an episode featuring Bacquier singing art song. Today’s episode combines Bacquier in his more familiar guise as an opera singer, with further (and even rarer) recordings of him singing mélodies. About a year ago I coughed up a lot of dough for a super-expensive and super-rare 2-LP set entitled Panorama de la Mélodie française in which Bacquier shared the vocal honors with a French coloratura soprano who is virtually forgotten today. Today we hear his contribution to that rare 1964 release featuring songs by the usual suspects: Fauré, Debussy, Duparc, and Hahn, alongside some less-familiar repertoire by Saint-Saëns, Massenet, and Lalo. It came out to not quite enough music for a full episode, so I have supplemented it with excerpts from a great, but nearly forgotten, triumph of Bacquier’s: his assumption of the title role of French composer Daniel-Lesur’s 1968 opera, Andrea del Sarto. (Astute listeners will remember that last week I played Alain Vanzo singing a selection from this same piece.) In addition, I offer selections from two different 1963 aria recitals by Bacquier, one in Italian, the other in French. This assortment of material reasserts Bacquier’s versatility, his solid technique, even the beauty of his voice at that point in his career. As his voice aged, Bacquier gradually assumed more bass roles and character parts but throughout the 1960s, his voice retained its youthful beauty even as his characterizations gained in precision and power. Along with a handful of other French singers during that era, Bacquier was the greatest of the great. 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.
S7 · E479
July 11 · 1 hr 31 min
Episode 479. Get to Know Alain Vanzo
I return to Countermelody‘s Salut à la France miniseries with a tribute to the Monaco-born French-naturalized tenor, Alain Vanzo (1923-2002). There was simply no more elegant a tenor (or any singer!) in the French operatic repertoire (and beyond) than Vanzo in his glory days in the 1960s and 1970s. I have chosen a setlist which presents him, in his core repertoire (Gounod, Massenet, Lalo), sounding truly exquise, but I also show him in music for which he was less-celebrated, but equally compelling, everything from Mozart, Rossini, and Puccini, to Mascagni and even Giordano, with even more delicious surprises along the way. Special thanks to my friend Olivier, for specifically requesting this episode. In preparing it, I became a Vanzo admirer to an all-out raving Vanzo fan girl. In listening to this, you may well find yourself in the same place that I did! 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.
S7 · E478
July 7 · 1 hr 23 min
Episode 478. Martial Singher: Un recueil de mélodies
Today is the first in a series of episodes honoring our Gallic friends, who this month also celebrate their independence day, call it what you will, Bastille Day or Le Quatorze Juillet. Our featured singer is French baritone Martial Singher (1904-1990). His career extended from opera to concert to recital and back again, but the main focus on this episode is on the wide range of French song that he performed in recital. I present in its entirety an ultra-rare 1950 recording entitled A Treasury of French Songs, which samples everything from parlor songs by Reynaldo Hahn, Charles Gounod, and Herman Bemberg; to deliciously treacly religious songs from Henri Büsser and Jean-Baptiste Faure (yes, “The Palms” in its original French!); to masterpieces of mélodie by Fauré, Duparc, and Chabrier. The episode is anchored by performances of Ravel and Poulenc songs recorded by Singher in 1934 and 1975, including Poulenc’s fervent “Priez pour paix,” recorded by Singher at the age of 70. 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.
July 5 · 1 hr 37 min
Episode 477. American Orchestral Song [Queer Edition]
I know, I know, I said that we were done with Pride for 2026. But honestly, given the tenor of the times (no pun intended), we have to continue foregrounding Pride every day we tread this increasingly precipitous path that is earth. And that is the United States of America. For as I write this. Even as our nation squeezes out what should be a momentous birthday celebration, our very queer existence is threatened. And one way of resisting the animosity and cruelty is to celebrate our history and our solidarity and our resilience and our creativity and our ingenuity and originality. All of these traits come to the fore in this episode: American Orchestral Song, Queer Edition. All of the composers fall somewhere on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum, as do many of the poets as well as the performers. It’s interesting how many of the performances today center around the US Bicentennial in 1976, a time when spirits were much higher than they are today. Of course the most familiar figures are here: Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Ned Rorem, Virgil Thomson, Gian Carlo Menotti, but also Charles Tomlinson Griffes, John Corigliano, Mark Adamo, and David Del Tredici. Perhaps even more important are figures less renowned or perhaps completely forgotten such as Julia Perry, Robert Helps, John La Montaine, Ben Weber, and the elusive Frank Ahrold, whose compisitions all reveal a bold and individual voice. Remembering these figures keeps them alive and provides us with courage to keep forging on, against the current as need be, yet always toward justice, inclusion, and equity. 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.
S7 · E476
June 30 · 1 hr 36 min
Episode 476. Getting a Handle on Henriëtte Bosmans
The final official #Pride2026 episode on Countermelody introduces the Dutch composer, pianist, and critic Henriëtte Bosmans (1895 – 1952), a fascinating figure of extraordinary contrasts and contradictions. Both of Henriëtte’s parents were professional musicians; her father, a cellist in the Concertgebouw Orchestra, died while she was in infancy. Her mother, Sarah Bosmans-Benedicts was a professional pianist and piano teacher at the Amsterdam Conservatory as well as her daughter’s piano instructor. Bosmans received her initial renown as a concert pianist, also beginning to compose music, initially primarily instrumental works. Henriëtte led her life openly as a bisexual woman, numbering among her relationships long-standing love affairs with Dutch cellist, conductor, and freedom fighter Frieda Belinanfante (1904 – 1995) and French mezzo-soprano Noémie Pérugia (1903–1992). She was also engaged to the violinist Francis Koene (1899 – 1934), who died tragically and prematurely of a brain tumor. At his death, Bosmans ceased composing for a number of years. During the war, her mother’s Jewish heritage became a threat to both her and her daughter’s lives. In fact, Sara was deported and sent away to the Westerbork concentration camp. Through some mysterious and miraculous machinations (possibly involving the intervention of conductor Willem Mengelberg, with whom mother and daughter had previously collaborated), Henriëtte was able, against all odds, to secure her mother’s release. During the war, prevented from public appearances, Bosmans began performing in clandestine concerts known “Black Evenings,” private musical events which were often invaded by the SS. Henriëtte herself, however, was never apprehended, and through these performances was able to earn a meager living. In the closing days of the war, she began to compose again, including songs of patriotism and hope. Upon meeting Pérugia in 1948, Henriëtte began to write music again in earnest, almost all songs composed for Noémie, with whom she performed and recorded some of the most distinctive and original of this repertoire. In the final years of her life, Bosmans suffered grievously from stomach cancer, a diagnosis which, however, was kept hidden from her, and she died at the age of only 56 on July 2, 1952. Instead of being forgotten, these days Henriëtte Bosmans has re-emerged as one of the most important Dutch compositional voices. Todays’ episode features rare radio recordings from the early 1950s by Bosmans and Pérugia, as well as later recordings by some of the most renowned Dutch singers, including Bernard Kruysen, Tania Kross, Julia Bronkhorst, Rachel Ann Morgan, Irene Maessen, Bettina Smith, and Max van Egmond. It is entirely appropriate that we commemorate Henriëtte Bosmans especially now, on the 74th anniversary of her death, and at the end of Pride Month. 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.
S8 · E475
June 26 · 1 hr 40 min
Episode 475. A Queer Boy’s Favorite Pop Divas
We are still in the midst of our summer holiday. And oh, what a sweltering summer it is turning out to be! Because of this, rather than producing a brand-new episode today, I’m bringing you an episode from nearly six years ago which celebrated a landmark birthday of mine, which is a playlist of a few of my favorite pop divas, my association with some of whom stretches all the way back to my childhood. But what a motley assortment it is! Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Barbara Cook, Eartha Kitt, Juliette Gréco, ABBA, Barbra Streisand, Bonnie Raitt, Cyndi Lauper, Billie Holiday, Eurythmics, Jackie DeShannon, Dolly Parton, Laura Lee, Rosemary Clooney, Yma Sumac, the recently departed Nicole Croisille, Linda Ronstadt, Freda Payne, Joey Heatherton, Dinah Washington, Dalida, Aretha, and of course my beloved Dusty. This is a playlist worthy of any diva-loving late-middle aged homosexual that any lover of occasionally good music and usually fantastic singing can enjoy. The episode begins with a memorial tribute to the late Erie Mills. 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.
S7 · E474
June 23 · 1 hr 33 min
Episode 474. Brigitte Fassbaender sings Brahms
Pride 2026 at Countermelody continues with an episode devoted to the towering German mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender, not only one of the great opera stars of the late twentieth century (her Octavian, for instance, was, is, and remains, hors concours), but also one of the greatest Lieder singers of all time. Today I choose to focus on her performance of the songs of Johannes Brahms, whose music is ideally suited to her dark-timbred, urgently projected voice and artistry. She’s heard in these selections with four of the primary pianists with whom she collaborated and recorded in the songs of Brahms: Erik Werba, Irwin Gage, Karl Engel, and the great Georgian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja, with whom she made her final recordings and performances in the early 1990s, just before her sudden departure from the opera and concert stage. I read a portion of her memoirs (translated into English) in which she candidly discusses the reasons for that choice. Fassbaender has always lived her life openly and matter-of-factly, never foregrounding her sexuality while also never denying or hiding it. For her, music and the theater have always been the focal points in her public life, and her unique artistry has placed her at the forefront of the great musical artists of our time. There are few vocal artists I esteem as highly. 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.
June 18 · 1 hr 16 min
Episode 473. Renata Scotto and the Opera Queens
We are quickly approaching the third anniversary of the death of Renata Scotto, and that sad commemoration, combined with my desire to produce an episode celebrating Opera Queens, prompted this episode, which features a rare live LP that I once owned a few decades ago and recently returned to my collection. It features live performances of “our diva” from the stage of Carnegie Hall on two different occasions in the mid- to late-1970s: the first, a gala concert on September 12, 1975 with Eve Queler leading the Opera Orchestra of New York on which Scotto performed Rossini (the bravura rondo from Armida) and Donizetti (the mad scene from Anna Bolena). She also sang “Tu che invoco” from Spontini’s La Vestale on that concert, and though it was not included on that record, I have unearthed a live recording of that exact performance, which is also included on the episode. The second concert featured on that LP took place on October 31, 1979 under the baton of Lorin Maazel leading the Cleveland Orchestra, and includes a rare performance of Scotto singing from Cherubini’s Medea as well as the mad scene from Bellini’s Il pirata. In all of these, Scotto is in sterling vocal form, which allows her to fully explore the expressive bel canto possibilities of this music. Since Scotto was also widely accused of being anti-Callas, I also dispute that view with some comments that Scotto made in an interview about Callas’s importance as the high priestess of bel canto. I also intone a few more nasty reviews and comments from those who do not hold Scotto in the same high esteem that I (we!) do. For I, too, am one of those opera queens that we are celebrating today. I just happen to have better taste than those that are dissing our diva! 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.
S7 · E472
June 15 · 1 hr 54 min
Episode 472. Ben Bagley Revisited: Lies Come True
A year ago I published an episode entitled “Gay Eccentrics,” which featured a number of the most delightfully peculiar personalities sprinkled across queer music history. The third of those characters, theatrical and record producer Ben Bagley, reappears on today’s episode. This time I feature selections from his record albums featuring two more gay eccenctrics, Lorenz Hart and Cole Porter! Bagley’s recordings uncovered and/or resuscitated trunk songs and other material by some of the most important Broadway composers and lyricists sung by a fascinating hodge-podge of some of the most prominent singers and actors of the era. In this episode alone we hear Tony Perkins, Gloria Swanson, Blossom Dearie, Charlotte Rae, Bobby Short, Sandy Stewart, Carmen Alvarez, Dorothy Loudon, Karen Morrow, David Allyn, Dolores Gray, Johnny Desmond, Ann Hampton Calloway, and Danny Meehan. These recordings were inevitably against all odds, seemingly tossed together, and on a shoestring budget, but the results were almost always surprisingly polished (and if not polished, at least fascinating!) One of the most notorious aspects of these releases was Bagley’s outrageously campy (and sometimes simply outrageous) liner notes, from which I quote extensively. I also read a 1974 profile of Bagley in which he espouses his ongoing credo of stretching the truth in order to make seemingly impossible dreams come true. 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.
S7 · E471
June 12 · 1 hr 45 min
Episode 471. Joan Caplan In Recital
Today we visit the rare recorded output my beloved teacher, Joan Caplan (15 October 1932 – 19 April 2025), live performances made during her active years as a song recitalist and as an opera and oratorio singer. We hear her complete performances of Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird by Peggy Glanville-Hicks, the Cinco canciones negras by Xavier Montsalvatge, and the Zigeunerlieder of Johannes Brahms, as well as songs by Gustav Mahler from the German folk poetry collection Des Knaben Wunderhorn and arias by Handel, Vivaldi, Hasse, and Donizetti. This episode constitutes the continuation of a promise that I made to Joan before she died that I would do my utmost to ensure that she never be forgotten for the great teacher and singer that she was. The episode also includes a memorial tribute full of insights and anecdotes that I recorded in her memory last year. 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.

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