# Countermelody Countermelody devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Page: Feed: --- ## [Episode 486. The Other Maureen Forrester](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/08/14/episode-486-the-other-maureen-forrester/) _2026-08-14_ 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 upon her a title which might surprise… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_486-The_Other_Maureen_Forrester-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 485. Anneliese Rothenberger singt Stolz und Lehár](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/08/08/episode-485-anneliese-rothenberger-singt-stolz-und-lehar/) _2026-08-08_ 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… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_485-Anneliese_Rothenberger_singt_Stolz_und_Leh_r-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 484. Bubbles on the Nile, Handel Edition](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/08/01/episode-484-bubbles-on-the-nile-handel-edition/) _2026-08-01_ 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… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_484-Bubbles_on_the_Nile-Handel_Edition-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 483. Adele Addison @ 101](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/24/episode-483-adele-addison-101/) _2026-07-24_ 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… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_483-Adele_Addison_101-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 482. Georges Thill: French Twist](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/21/episode-482-georges-thill-french-twist/) _2026-07-21_ 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… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_482-Georges_Thill-French_Twist-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 481. The Young Eleanor Steber](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/18/episode-481-the-young-eleanor-steber/) _2026-07-18_ 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… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_481-The_Young_Eleanor_Steber-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 480. Bacquier Encore](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/14/episode-480-bacquier-encore/) _2026-07-14_ 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 an opera singer, with further (and even rarer) recordings of him singing… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_480-Bacquier_Encore-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 479. Get to Know Alain Vanzo](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/11/episode-479-get-to-know-alain-vanzo/) _2026-07-11_ 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 presents him, in his core repertoire (Gounod, Massenet, Lalo),… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_479-Get_to_Know_Alain_Vanzo-FINAL.mp3) ## [Episode 478. Martial Singher: Un recueil de mélodies](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/07/episode-478-martial-singher-un-recueil-de-melodies/) _2026-07-07_ 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 main focus on this episode is on the wide range of French song that… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_478-Martial_Singher_chante_un_recueil_de_m_lodies-FINAL.mp3) ## [Browse ThreatCrush Modules (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/3dFIAIniYq6A) _2026-07-07 · **Sponsored**_ Install community-built security modules to extend real-time threat intelligence and monitoring ## [Episode 477. American Orchestral Song \[Queer Edition\]](https://countermelody.blubrry.net/2026/07/05/episode-477-american-orchestral-song-queer-edition/) _2026-07-05_ 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. Even as our nation squeezes out what should be a momentous birthday celebration, our very queer… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/countermelody/media.blubrry.com/countermelody/content.blubrry.com/countermelody/Episode_477-American_Orchestral_Song-Queer_Edition-FINAL.mp3)