Countermelody

Episode 493. Hanne-Lore Kuhse and Kurt Masur: Deutsche Einheit Edition

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 w...

2026-10-04

Muat Turun

Episode 492. Mommie Dearest, One Year Later

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 reco...

2026-09-23

Muat Turun

Episode 491. Bubbles on the Nile, Verdi Edition

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...

2026-09-19

Muat Turun

Episode 490. José van Dam chante l’éternité

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 t...

2026-09-11

Muat Turun

Episode 489. The Infinite Variety of Regina Resnik

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 wi...

2026-09-06

Muat Turun

Episode 488. Ileana Cotrubaș In Memoriam

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 arti...

2026-08-30

Muat Turun

Episode 487. Jill Gomez In Memoriam

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 84...

2026-08-22

Muat Turun

Episode 486. The Other Maureen Forrester

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 bee...

2026-08-15

Muat Turun

Episode 485. Anneliese Rothenberger singt Stolz und Lehár

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 Operettenl...

2026-08-08

Muat Turun

Episode 484. Bubbles on the Nile, Handel Edition

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 ...

2026-08-02

Muat Turun

Episode 483. Adele Addison @ 101

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 ...

2026-07-25

Muat Turun

Episode 482. Georges Thill: French Twist

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...

2026-07-22

Muat Turun

Episode 481. The Young Eleanor Steber

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 allow...

2026-07-18

Muat Turun

Episode 480. Bacquier Encore

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...

2026-07-15

Muat Turun

Episode 479. Get to Know Alain Vanzo

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 sin...

2026-07-11

Muat Turun

Episode 478. Martial Singher: Un recueil de mélodies

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 s...

2026-07-07

Muat Turun

Episode 477. American Orchestral Song [Queer Edition]

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...

2026-07-05

Muat Turun

Episode 476. Getting a Handle on Henriëtte Bosmans

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 contradic...

2026-07-01

Muat Turun

Episode 475. A Queer Boy’s Favorite Pop Divas

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 e...

2026-06-26

Muat Turun

Episode 474. Brigitte Fassbaender sings Brahms

Pride 2026 at Countermelody continues with an episode devoted to the towering German mezzo-soprano Brigitte Fassbaender, not only one of the great opera stars of the late twentieth century (her Octavi...

2026-06-23

Muat Turun

Countermelody

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