On my recent Edith Mathis episode, I played her singing one of Handel’s Neun deutsche Arien, a group of religious songs set to German texts by pietist poet Berthold Heinrich Brockes. A number of years ago, I created another episode featuring all nine of the arias sung by a magnificent assembly of fine baroque singers. At that time, as a pendant to that episode, I also did a bonus episode with two of the lesser-known of those singers, German sopranos Margot Guilleaume (12 January 1910 – 25 June 2004) and Adele Stolte (12 October 1932 – 27 September 2020) Guilleaume’s version was recorded in 1953, Stolte’s in 1968. If Stolte’s is a silvery voice, then Guilleaume’s has a more burnished quality. Each of them complements the other and, to keep a fair balance between the two, each are given five arias to sing, with the episode beginning and ending with the exquisite Süße Stille, sanfte Quelle, sung first by Stolte, then by Guilleaume. May this episode, guided by these two exquisite singers, be a restful and peaceful oasis in the storm of today’s world.

Countermelody is the 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.