Countermelody

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.

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.

 

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.

 

 

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.

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.