German-British soprano Ilse Wolf (07 June 1921 06 September 1999) was another fine lyric soprano active primarily in Britain from the 1950s through the early 1980s. One of the reasons she is remembe

Today, the day that we lay my beloved mother, Jane Elizabeth Herbst Gundlach, to rest, I offer another tribute to her memory by way of another favorite singer of hers, Eileen Farrell. My mother grew u

I tried at the end of last week to do a memorial episode honoring my mother who died just a week ago. At the time I couldnt quite manage it, but I am back again using a different approach: I tell vig

As many of you know, my beloved mother died this past week. Ive been trying for two days now to put together a memorial episode that would do justice to the many divergent aspects of the woman that s

Todays episode celebrates a prime example of that rara avis, the Broadway contralto, the fascinating and little-remembered Shannon Bolin (01 January 1917 25 March 2016). Her career covered the gamu

Today we celebrate the recorded legacy of Hildegard Behrens, but from an unexpected angle. Like George London and Cesare Valletti, the last two artists heard on the podcast, she is best remembered tod

More than two years and nearly two hundred episodes ago, I published an episode on the great Italian tenore di grazia Cesare Valletti. Today I revisit his recorded legacy, focusing on his prowess in t

Even before the continuing acts of gun violence in the US this week, I had chosen a theme that necessitated a rather sombre setlist: the artistry of Canadian-born singer George London in recital. Thou

Since posting a tribute to German heldentenor Ernst Kozub last year, I have continued combing through both his live and studio output and I have concluded that his work in Verdi is at least as good as

Two months ago I posted an episode on Gay Eccentrics, which included a profile of Ben Bagley, the theatrical and record producer who most certainly fit that designation. I believe that Bagleys most l