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 194. Great Mozart Tenors
Today’s is a mammoth episode, one of my longest ever, so I suggest you listen to it in easily digestible segments. It’s mammoth because it’s a gigantic subject: great Mozart tenors of the 20th centur…
02:08:35 |
Fri 28 Apr 2023
Episode 193. Alexander Kipnis
If I were to indulge in the foolish task of dubbing certain artists the “Greatest Ever,” I would have little hesitation in naming Ukrainian-American bass Alexander Kipnis (1891–1978) “the greatest” i…
01:34:53 |
Fri 21 Apr 2023
Episode 192. Virginia Zeani: The Soul of the Voice
A number of significant classical and opera singers have died in this calendar year, and this episode pays tribute to three of them. First, James Bowman, the most significant British countertenor sin…
01:38:12 |
Fri 14 Apr 2023
Episode 191. Music for Holy Week
Welcome to all listeners both old and new to the podcast! This week I am focusing on music related to the Christian observation of Holy Week: oratorios, motets, cantatas, songs and song cycles, even …
01:36:43 |
Thu 06 Apr 2023
Episode 190. Make Your Own Kind of Music: Verdi Edition
It’s time for my fourth annual April Fools Day episode! The first one that I published exactly four years ago, entitled Alternate Universe Bel Canto, has proven to be one of my most popular, and one …
01:40:39 |
Fri 31 Mar 2023
Episode 189. Marni Nixon
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 d…
01:45:03 |
Fri 24 Mar 2023
Episode 188. Sarah Reese
Greatness expresses itself in different ways. Sometimes in indisputable artistic talents, and other times in profound displays of humanity. And sometimes, as in the case of today’s subject, Sarah Ree…
01:22:35 |
Fri 17 Mar 2023
Episode 187. Elly Ameling Sings Bach
An artist whose singing has been with me throughout my entire life journey is Dutch soprano Elly Ameling, who on February 8 celebrated her 90th birthday. Ameling was most celebrated as a singer of ar…
01:17:58 |
Fri 10 Mar 2023
Episode 186. Roberta Alexander in Opera
Today it is with the utmost excitement that I bring you an episode devoted to one of my favorite singers of all time, soprano Roberta Alexander, who celebrates her birthday today, March 3rd! I rememb…
01:36:21 |
Fri 03 Mar 2023
Episode 185. Black Pop Icons auf Deutsch (Black History Month 2023)
There are advantages to being one’s own boss, and one of those is that when Frau Corona (AKA Madame Covid) comes to visit, one can reshuffle and recalibrate one’s plans to fit the exigencies of the m…
01:18:20 |
Fri 24 Feb 2023
Episode 184. Eugene Holmes (Black History Month 2023)
Eugene Holmes (1932 – 2007), baritone supreme, should be remembered as one of the most significant voices of the Twentieth Century and a Black singer on a par with the most revered and celebrated. Th…
01:21:41 |
Fri 17 Feb 2023
Episode 183. Martina Arroyo (Black History Month 2023)
Last week on Feburary 2, the beloved African American soprano Martina Arroyo turned 86 years old. Although the Countermelody birthday tribute to Ms. Arroyo is a week late, it is nonetheless profoundl…
01:21:34 |
Fri 10 Feb 2023
Episode 182. Dorothy Maynor (Black History Month 2023)
I lead off my new episodes for Black History Month 2023 with one of the most glorious voices ever captured on recordings, Dorothy Maynor (03 September 1910 – 19 February 1996), one of the most glorio…
01:15:43 |
Fri 03 Feb 2023
Episode 181. Nicolai Gedda in Song
Today’s episode is a special request from one of my most dedicated listeners, and one with which I am happy to comply. It is already seven years this month since the death of the great Swedish tenor …
01:24:08 |
Fri 27 Jan 2023
Episode 180. Anna Moffo Reappraised
The Italian-American lyric coloratura soprano Anna Moffo (1932-2006) is, for many, one of the great singers of the past century. My first exposure to this artist was one of two, frankly, disastrous r…
01:40:54 |
Fri 20 Jan 2023
Episode 179. The Pop Stylings of Maria Ewing
A year ago, as I was preparing my memorial Countermelody episode dedicated to Maria Ewing I was struck anew at just how naturally she had mastered the often messy “crossover” genre. Perhaps that’s be…
01:33:22 |
Fri 13 Jan 2023
Episode 178. Andrzej Hiolski
This week I have been tantalizing my followers with the promise of a tall, dark, handsome singer who was born on January 1. I shall keep you in suspense no longer: he is the great Polish baritone And…
01:36:07 |
Fri 06 Jan 2023
Episode 177. Great Singers at Twilight
For the last episode of 2022, I begin a series of episodes which was one of the reasons I began Countermelody in the fall of 2019: a celebration of great singing from great singers in the late years …
01:41:00 |
Fri 30 Dec 2022
Episode 176. Helen Donath
Today’s episode is a celebration of the Texas-born, German-assimilated soprano Helen Donath. Very few singers can boast of a career lasting more than 50 years which yielded such consistently superb v…
01:26:31 |
Sat 24 Dec 2022
Episode 175. The Young Fritz Wunderlich
I’ve heard and enjoyed many a German lyric tenor, but if there was ever a greater one than Fritz Wunderlich (26 September 1930 – 17 September 1966), I’ve never heard him! What is it about this singer…
01:17:12 |
Thu 15 Dec 2022
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