Countermelody
Countermelody is devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song.
Episodes
October 9, 2026 • 85 mins
It’s my birthday! And we’re heading south for a week. But never fear: I have spent the week preparing in advance a number of new episodes which will “hit the airwaves” right on schedule. And, perhaps best of all, they’re my famous potpourri episodes, that feature everything but the kitchen sink! Today’s episode is another … Continue reading .css-1t8gq41{border:none;background-image:none;background-color:transparent;box-shadow:none;color:#2F3133;cursor:pointer;font-size:inherit;padding:0;-webkit-text-decoration:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;width:-webkit-max-content;width:-moz-max-content;width:max-content;}.css-1t8gq41:hover,.css-1t8gq41:focus{-webkit-text-decoration:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;}
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October 3, 2026 • 94 mins
Today, October 3, is probably the most significant of all German holidays, the Tage der Deutschen Einheit, the day on which we celebrate “Die Wende,” German reunification. Though the country in some ways is more divided than it has ever been (shades of my own home country!), we somehow must continue to hold on to … Continue reading Episode 493. Hanne-Lore Kuhse a...
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September 23, 2026 • 96 mins
Today is the one-year anniversary of my dear mother’s death. Yesterday, in preparing for my own private commemoration, I remembered that almost exactly a year ago, just two days after she died, I recorded the narration for a memorial episode in her honor that at the time I never published. Listening to the raw material … Continue reading Episode 492. Mommie Dearest, On...
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September 18, 2026 • 90 mins
Here’s another edition of what has beocme one of my (and my listeners’) favorite series of episodes, one that I have entitled “Bubbles on the Nile.” The title refers to a wonderful 1985 LP of the same name which featured favorite divas in unfamiliar or unexpected repertoire. Since publishing my first Bubbles on the Nile … Continue reading Episode 491....
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September 11, 2026 • 81 mins
Today we commemorate the quarter century since 9/11, an event that sent shockwaves throughout the world as it was transpiring (and who can forget where they were in those first awful hours?) And yet the aftermath has been so much worse than one could even imagine at the time, and with no end in sight … Continue reading Episode 490. José van Dam chante l’éternité...
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September 6, 2026 • 99 mins
On August 30 we observed (posthumously) the 104th birthday of the unique, the phenomenal Regina Resnik, who died in 2013 just a few short days before her 91st birthday. This commemoration, combined with my recent acquisition (at the flea market in my Berlin neighborhood) of the LP of her single operatic recital recording, provided the … Continue reading Episode 489. The Infi...
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August 29, 2026 • 98 mins
Ileana Cotrubaș, the exquisite Romanian soprano, departed this earthly plane last week at the age of 87. She was one of the operatic artists I most revered and respected, both for her musical and artistic integrity and for her constant search for greater dramatic truth in her portrayals. Her characterizations of Violetta, Mimì, Gilda, Adina, … Continue reading Episode 488. I...
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August 21, 2026 • 109 mins
Jill Gomez, the brilliant, intrepid Trinidadian-British soprano, known for the last fifteen years of her life as Jill Carnegy, Countess of Northesk, died on August 11, just a few weeks short of her 84th birthday. She is a singer that I have loved and followed for decades, and one whose recordings I collected assiduously and … Continue reading Episode 487. Jill Gomez In Memor...
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August 14, 2026 • 101 mins
This episode celebrates one of the twentieth century’s great contraltos, Canadian icon, Maureen Forrester, an exceptionally versatile, profoundly communicative artist. This past July 25 would have been her 96th birthday. It would be a nearly insurmountable challenge to present all aspects of her artistry in a single episode, so today I have chosen to bestow … Continue reading
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August 8, 2026 • 99 mins
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 … Continue reading
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August 1, 2026 • 98 mins
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 … Continue reading Episode 4...
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July 24, 2026 • 88 mins
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 … Continue reading Episo...
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July 21, 2026 • 79 mins
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 … Continue reading Episode 482. George...
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July 17, 2026 • 89 mins
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 … Continue reading
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July 14, 2026 • 103 mins
Allons, enfants de la patrie! Let’s celeberate Bastille Day in style! And what better exemplar of the power and élan of French music than the great Gabriel Bacquier?! It was only about a year ago that I published an episode featuring Bacquier singing art song. Today’s episode combines Bacquier in his more familiar guise as … Continue reading Episode 480. Bacquier...
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July 11, 2026 • 91 mins
I return to Countermelody‘s Salut à la France miniseries with a tribute to the Monaco-born French-naturalized tenor, Alain Vanzo (1923-2002). There was simply no more elegant a tenor (or any singer!) in the French operatic repertoire (and beyond) than Vanzo in his glory days in the 1960s and 1970s. I have chosen a setlist which … Continue reading Episode 479. Get to Kn...
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July 7, 2026 • 83 mins
Today is the first in a series of episodes honoring our Gallic friends, who this month also celebrate their independence day, call it what you will, Bastille Day or Le Quatorze Juillet. Our featured singer is French baritone Martial Singher (1904-1990). His career extended from opera to concert to recital and back again, but the … Continue reading Episode 478. Martial Singhe...
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July 5, 2026 • 97 mins
I know, I know, I said that we were done with Pride for 2026. But honestly, given the tenor of the times (no pun intended), we have to continue foregrounding Pride every day we tread this increasingly precipitous path that is earth. And that is the United States of America. For as I write this. … Continue reading Episode 477. American Orchestral Song [Queer Edition] <...
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June 30, 2026 • 96 mins
The final official #Pride2026 episode on Countermelody introduces the Dutch composer, pianist, and critic Henriëtte Bosmans (1895 – 1952), a fascinating figure of extraordinary contrasts and contradictions. Both of Henriëtte’s parents were professional musicians; her father, a cellist in the Concertgebouw Orchestra, died while she was in infancy. Her mother, Sarah Bosmans-Benedicts was a professional … Read more
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June 26, 2026 • 100 mins
We are still in the midst of our summer holiday. And oh, what a sweltering summer it is turning out to be! Because of this, rather than producing a brand-new episode today, I’m bringing you an episode from nearly six years ago which celebrated a landmark birthday of mine, which is a playlist of a … Continue reading Episode 475. A Queer Boy’s Favorite Pop Divas
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