Countermelody Podcast
1) Episode 390. Donath Sings Strauss
Beloved Countermelody favorite Helen Donath celebrated her 85th birthday on 10 July. In honor of that milestone, I once again celebrate her (which I’ve done so often, but I don’t think anyone is compl...Show More
2) Episode 389. Rescue Mission (Operatic Duet Edition)
I have spent the past week planning forthcoming episodes and last night I realized I had to “throw together” something for this weekend’s episode. When this happens, it can often result in a very ecle...Show More
3) Episode 388. Sopranos en détresse, Part Deux
A few months ago I published the first of a series of episodes honoring “Over the Top Sopranos,” which presented French repertoire performed by a batch of supremely distressed divas. And today is a fo...Show More
4) Episode 387. Zauberwelt der Oper [Black Diva Edition]
I’m on holiday this week, but it would be most unGundlachian of me not to provide an episode to sustain my listeners in my absence. I recently purchased a mammoth 13-LP set on the Concert Hall Society...Show More
5) Episode 386. David Rendall in Memoriam
On 21 July, the opera world lost one of its finest tenors, David Rendall, at the age of 76. Rendall began his career in the mid-seventies as a lyric tenore di grazia specializing in bel canto and in t...Show More
6) Episode 385. Classical Singer-Songwriters
You’re all going to laugh at me, but that’s okay, cuz I’m I’m the one laughing hardest! I had planned an easy-peasy episode for yesterday, one which focused on two great 20th century bass-baritones wh...Show More
7) Episode 384. Vera Little Revisited
On June 3, 2024, the Berlin Senate's Department of Culture installed a memorial plaque in honor of African American contralto and Deutsche Oper star Vera Little at her former residence. Little, who li...Show More
8) Episode 383. Get to Know Carol Smith
If the exceptional Illinois-born contralto Carol Smith (20 February 1926 – 06 June 2021) has previous escaped your notice, now is the perfect opportunity to get to know her better. She began her caree...Show More
9) Episode 382. Eine Janowitzische Geburtstagfeier
If you “get” Gundula Janowitz, then you really get her, and this birthday tribute will be a delectable treat. If, however, you don’t get her, or don’t think that you get her, you might want to give th...Show More
10) Episode 381. I Got a Name (Pride Edition)
At first blush, this episode may look a bit slapdash, but it actually reflects very much where I am at this moment. It’s got a bit more of a narrative than most of my episodes do, and somehow in this ...Show More