Episode 424. The Happy Prince

A holiday gift for my beloved listeners. In the past year I have done Countermelody episodes featuring both soprano April Cantelo and mezzo-soprano Maureen Lehane. Cantelo in particular sang roles in numerous operas by the Australian composer Malcolm Williamson, On a sojourn to New York in 2024, I was lucky to pick up a rare copy of Williamson’s 1965 children’s opera The Happy Prince, based on the Oscar Wilde fairy tale, a recording which features both Cantelo and Lehane. As I am not normally enamored of children’s operas of any kind, I did not have high hopes for this short opera, so imagine my surprise and delight when I encountered a work of real vision, poignancy, and humor. It’s my delight to present the recording to you, prefaced by the classic 1959 recording of Basil Rathbone reading the Wilde original and by Williamson’s Robert Louis Stevenson song cycle From a Child’s Garden, as sung by Cantelo. 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.