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 314. Yi-Kwei Sze Revisited
One of the great personal revelations for me in the early years of producing Countermelody was discovering the great Chinese American bass Yi-Kwei Sze (斯義桂). As the first Chinese singer to pursue a c…
01:38:19 |
Tue 10 Dec 2024
Episode 313. Get to Know Gilbert Price
If you have never heard of Gilbert Price, this episode will remedy that situation. With a voice that was easily produced, full-ranged, tonally refulgent, and technically poised, the three-time Tony n…
01:41:35 |
Sat 07 Dec 2024
Episode 312. John Reardon Revisited (World AIDS Day 2024)
Yesterday was World AIDS Day and many of the people I admire and follow on various social media platforms made beautiful and heartfelt posts in commemoration of this day and all the many souls that h…
01:52:00 |
Mon 02 Dec 2024
Episode 311. Ina Souez
Because we American expats in Germany often celebrate Thanksgiving on the weekend after our compatriots in the US, I offer you today a second Thanksgiving episode, this one featuring the extraordinar…
01:17:21 |
Sat 30 Nov 2024
Episode 310. Giving Thanks with Roberta Alexander
If you, like many of us, are struggling to find things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving, I have put together an episode featuring a national (and international) treasure, the exquisite soprano Ro…
01:32:00 |
Tue 26 Nov 2024
Episode 309. Get to Know Věra Soukupová
As a supplement to my ongoing series on great contraltos, and as a contrast to another outstanding Czech singer, soprano Hana Janků, recently featured on the podcast, I have been actively planning fo…
01:46:14 |
Fri 22 Nov 2024
Episode 308. Mezzos on the Verge
I am taking a short break before posting the final in my Mexican Opera Singers miniseries to bring you a compilation episode that is sure to get your blood flowing. I’ve entitled it “Mezzos on the Ve…
01:10:35 |
Wed 20 Nov 2024
Episode 307. Francisco Araiza in Song
In the first year of Countermelody I posted a tribute to to the Mexican tenor Francisco Araiza on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Four years later, that great artist is still with us, and, today, …
01:40:22 |
Sat 16 Nov 2024
Episode 306. Oralia Domínguez Revisited
Today (for what I hope are obvious reasons) begins a short Countermelody series on a few of the greatest singers that Mexico, our neighbor to the south, has gifted to the world. Contralto Oralia Domí…
01:26:52 |
Tue 12 Nov 2024
Episode 305. Rage and Despair
Before I traveled to my home state of Wisconsin this week, I had prepared an episode to post this weekend, but in my naïveté, I had not anticipated the catastrophe that happened to my country, and to…
01:15:21 |
Sat 09 Nov 2024
Episode 304. Portia White, Canadian Icon
As the United States faces its most momentous and contentious election since at least 1968, let’s turn for today to our neighbors to the North to become acquainted with one of their cultural icons: t…
00:59:16 |
Mon 04 Nov 2024
Episode 303. Everything Must Change
Something a little outside of the normal scope of Countermelody for today’s episode:
Earlier this year I published a bonus episode on the fascinating singer/songwriter Benard Ighner (1945-2017) and …
Earlier this year I published a bonus episode on the fascinating singer/songwriter Benard Ighner (1945-2017) and …
01:35:07 |
Thu 31 Oct 2024
Episode 302. The Haunted Opera House, 2024 Edition
Two years ago for Halloween, I presented the first of my “Haunted Opera House” episodes. At the time, I had such a plethora of creepy musical material that I produced a bonus episode of material that…
01:24:21 |
Mon 28 Oct 2024
Episode 301. Christa Ludwig Sings Lieder
Since Christa Ludwig’s death more than three and a half years ago, her reputation has only increased. A significant portion of that reputation rests on her prowess as a singer of Lieder, a repertoire…
01:13:10 |
Fri 25 Oct 2024
Episode 300. Helen Donath Revisited
Episode 300 of Countermelody is upon us, and I have chosen today to bring you the German-American soprano Helen Donath in all her glory, performing Lieder of both Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Sc…
01:16:10 |
Mon 21 Oct 2024
Episode 299. Rogue Tenors
Remember the summer of 2020? The good old days of lockdown? That was the first summer that I was producing Countermelody, and during that time I tried to inject a little levity into the podcast by do…
Fri 18 Oct 2024
Episode 298. Verdi Duets
Last week, absorbed in preparations for my own birthday, I passed over the birthday of the great Giuseppe Verdi, born 10 October 1813. Two years ago I produced a pair of Verdi episodes, and today I f…
01:20:01 |
Tue 15 Oct 2024
Episode 297. In Pace
Today I present part two of my “In Memoriam” series, honoring treasured singers who have recently died. This week I focus on male singers, covering the gamut from opera singers (Dominic Cossa, Lando …
01:30:09 |
Sun 13 Oct 2024
Episode 296. Dan’s Operatic Picks
I’m still under the weather, but I can’t let that keep me from posting my usual Tuesday episode! Here is another recycled bonus episode, this one posted two years ago in honor of my birthday, which f…
01:33:16 |
Tue 08 Oct 2024
Episode 295. Requiescat
Today on Countermelody is the first of two memorial episodes paying tribute to singers that we’ve lost just in the past few months. Applying the completely arbitrary rubric of gender, today I am focu…
01:33:32 |
Sun 06 Oct 2024
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