Countermelody

Recent Episodes

Episode 111. Verdi auf Deutsch I

Posted October 17, 2021 • 02:09:33

Today’s is a mammoth episode on a mammoth topic: historical performances of Verdi’s operas in German translation. I trace the historical and ongoing...

Episode 110. Black Crooners

Posted October 10, 2021 • 01:45:30

Season Three of Countermelody begins with a potpourri episode of some of my favorite crooners of color. I begin with an example of Bert Williams, the...

Episode 109. Bernard Kruysen: Baryton Martin Extroardinaire

Posted October 3, 2021 • 01:47:11

Today I celebrate the life and artistry of Bernard Kruysen (1933-2000), the Dutch singer whose voice exemplified that now nearly extinct vocal category,...

Episode 108. Christiane Eda-Pierre

Posted September 26, 2021 • 01:36:23

Today’s episode is a memorial tribute to the great Martinique-born French soprano Christiane Eda-Pierre on the first anniversary of her death. When...

Episode 107. Norman Bailey and Friends

Posted September 19, 2021 • 01:43:59

Death has had a busy month in the music world, especially this past week, when we lost the great British Heldenbariton Norman Bailey and the delectable...