An old LP of Tōru Takemitsu’s Coral Island and a conversation with a new friend about American Exceptionalism inspired today’s episode, the “International Edition” of my ongoing series on Orchestral Song. Coral Island is still here, although I ended up using a later (and better) recording than the one in my collection. I also feature the work of composers Karol Szymanowski, Augustyn Bloch, Aminollah Hossein, Kaija Saariaho, Frederic Mompou, Ottorino Respighi, Fartein Valen, Bohuslav Martinů, and many others, performed by Gerald Finley, Andréa Guiot, Robert Tear, Dorothy Dorow, Halina Łukomska, Victoria de los Ángeles, Andrzej Hiolski, Bernard Kruysen, and Marianne Crebassa, for starters! I have been enjoying so much preparing these recent “potpourri” episodes, and this one is particularly chock full of surprises and discoveries!

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and author yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.