Countermelody
Countermelody is a new podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. 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 interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please also visit the Countermelody website for updates, additional content, and to pledge your support. www.countermelodypodcast.com
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 91 minutes
- Episodes
- 323
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Episode 214. Ellabelle Davis
Today I begin a series of interim episodes which will lead up to the debut of Season Five of the podcast in January 2024. These episodes will be shorter, but will still be chock full of interesting s…
00:46:00 |
Tue 12 Sep 2023
Episode 213. Julia Varady
A week ago the extraordinary Hungarian-German soprano Julia Varady turned 82. As she is one of my favorite sopranos, I have presented her a few times on the podcast, but never on an episode devoted e…
01:34:45 |
Thu 07 Sep 2023
Episode 212. Ian Partridge
Ian Partridge, the quintessential English lyric tenor, celebrated his 85th birthday in June. I may be a few weeks late in celebrating that event, but my enthusiasm and admiration for this singer has …
01:31:50 |
Thu 31 Aug 2023
Episode 211. Janet Baker @ 90
This past week the opera world was plunged into mourning over the sudden death of Renata Scotto. Originally I had intended this week’s episode to be devoted to her memory. But I can’t even speak her …
01:33:00 |
Fri 25 Aug 2023
Episode 210. The Mystery of Anita Cerquetti
Anita Cerquetti (13 April 1931 - 11 October 2014), the subject of today’s episode, possessed a one in a million voice, enormous, but with prodigious flexibility, and of an immediately recognizable ti…
01:28:05 |
Mon 14 Aug 2023
Episode 209. Nordic Tracks I: Orchestral Songs
Inspired by my holiday in Denmark last week, today I inaugurate a new series on Countermelody called “Nordic Tracks,” featured music from Scandinavia and the Nordic countries. There has always been a…
01:40:02 |
Tue 08 Aug 2023
Episode 208. Happy Birthday, Gundula Janowitz!
From a very young age I was interested in today’s birthday celebrant, the great Gundula Janowitz, at least partially because of a similarity between her first name and my last name! But even more tha…
01:32:53 |
Tue 01 Aug 2023
Episode 207. Henry Wright and Pals
Today’s episode is first and foremost a tribute to a forgotten African American trailblazer, the pop singer Henry Wright, born in 1933, who, in the late fifties, claimed Italy as his adoptive country…
01:40:01 |
Fri 28 Jul 2023
Episode 206. Jerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley (16 June 1952 – 18 July 2007) is regarded by many as the most gifted American lyric tenor of the late 20th century. Last month he would have celebrated his 71st birthday. And today is th…
01:29:39 |
Tue 18 Jul 2023
Episode 205. Eileen Farrell: Bach/Pop
Eileen Farrell (13 February 1920 – 23 March 2002) was one of the finest and most versatile singers that the United States has ever produced. She began her career as a radio singer, the star of her ow…
01:21:04 |
Thu 13 Jul 2023
Episode 204. Roberta Alexander Sings America
Posting a few days early in celebration of the Fourth of July and in further recognition of the beloved American soprano Roberta Alexander, whose birthday we celebrated on Countermelody last March. M…
01:23:55 |
Tue 04 Jul 2023
Episode 203. Jobriath and Jackie Shane (Pride 2023)
Today’s Pride 2023 episode focuses on two pathbreaking pop artists from the 1960s and 1970s, who were undervalued or even reviled at the time in which they were active, but whose contribution, import…
01:40:20 |
Sat 01 Jul 2023
Episode 202. William Parker (Pride 2023)
Today’s episode celebrates the life and legacy of lyric baritone William Parker (05 August 1943 – 29 March 1993), the finest American recitalist of the late twentieth century and one of the most beau…
01:31:08 |
Fri 23 Jun 2023
Episode 201. Britten – Pears (Pride 2023)
Today’s episode explores the lives and loves of two of the most significant figures in twentieth century music: Benjamin Britten, the dean of British composers and the tenor Peter Pears, his partner,…
01:48:03 |
Fri 16 Jun 2023
Episode 200. Whole Lotta Lotte (Lehmann!)
Today we observe a significant event in the history of Countermelody, namely, our 200th episode! I decided that there was no better way to celebrate than to devote a full episode to the great Lotte L…
01:40:29 |
Fri 09 Jun 2023
Episode 199. Tina and the Expats
If you’re like me (and I hope that, at least in this way, you are!) you have adored Tina Turner since you first became aware of her. In my case, it was circa 1971, seeing her perform “Proud Mary” on …
01:36:11 |
Fri 02 Jun 2023
Episode 198. Cesare Valletti
Today’s episode celebrates the Italian tenore di grazia Cesare Valletti (18 December 1923 – 13 May 2000), perhaps the last in a lineage of Italian lyric tenors. Valletti studied under his illustrious…
01:37:01 |
Fri 26 May 2023
Episode 197. Theatre Dreams
I’ve been plotting an episode on the subject of Dreams for a while. Given the profusion of music that references that altered state of consciousness, my challenge was narrowing down the topic. I chos…
02:00:00 |
Fri 19 May 2023
Episode 196. Grace Bumbry In Memoriam
This past week the world of opera was plunged in mourning at the news of the death of the unique, the irreplaceable Grace Bumbry (04 January 1937 - 07 May 2023), an artist equal parts daredevil and r…
01:29:28 |
Thu 11 May 2023
Episode 195. Forgotten Broadway III
Last summer, I produced a miniseries of episodes on Countermelody entitled “Forgotten Broadway,” the third and final segment of which was originally published as a bonus episode for my Patreon suppor…
01:35:15 |
Fri 05 May 2023
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