# Round One: Handel's Cara Sposa. Ewa Podles and Marilyn Horne



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Handel can be tedious, but when he had his game on he could, as it were, knock a baseball into orbit. This is one of those times and this is one of the most beautiful and emotional arias to me. I have a few more of these knockout arias by Handel in my arsenal . Enjoy. BTW, I can't get Podles' aria to be begin where her singing starts for some reason but if you want to you can skip to 1:36.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Is the _messa di voce_ at the beginning in the score, or is it one of General Horne's showy bits? I don't know, but it's impressive. I'm not quite sure I like her tone, though, in slow music and, in this instance, her vibrato seems excessive in the sustained notes.

Alas, Podles's version started in so lugubrious a register that I was disconcerted and the slow tempo didn't help at all. Perhaps she needs the slow tempo to move the voice, as well as aspirates. The fast section improved matters a little, but was over in a flash.

Both singers were attentive to the text and had showy bits, Podles exploiting her lower notes, Horne some highs.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I'm not much of a fan of this particular aria. I voted for Podles, although the orchestral contribution sounded pretty bad. It's hard for me to get a good reading of Horne as she sounds as if she's in a distant room.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I'm so sorry, John, but I really didn't like either of these. The first note from Podles, as she sings _Cawrah sposah_ put me off completely. I couldn't even get through to the end. I just didn't like the sound she was making.

Horne is better, the tone more forwardly produced, but the vibrato is a bit too much. When was this recorded? I don't remember her having such a heavy vibrato on the recordings I know, like the *Semiramide* with Sutherland. Still, she sings with more feeling and a better understanding of the words.

I find it hard to hear this aria without having the movingly plaintive sound of David Daniels in my mind's ear. I don't know if you are doing another round or whether you even consider including him. He's made at least two studio recordings, on on his first Handel recital and the other on the complete Hogwood recording.

Anyway, it's Horne for me out of these two, but Daniels is my winner.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I'm so sorry, John, but I really didn't like either of these. The first note from Podles, as she sings _Cawrah sposah_ put me off completely. I couldn't even get through to the end. I just didn't like the sound she was making.
> 
> Horne is better, the tone more forwardly produced, but the vibrato is a bit too much. When was this recorded? I don't remember her having such a heavy vibrato on the recordings I know, like the *Semiramide* with Sutherland. Still, she sings with more feeling and a better understanding of the words.
> 
> ...


David is coming up of course as I am a huge fan of this aria.. Lots and lots of folks like Horne and Podles, but apparently not here. They both had huge careers with lots of fans so I know I am not entirely out of left field. I don't think Podles should have stopped singing because she had a lisp. She was one of the greatest voices I ever heard live. This was early in Horne's career before her vibrato became slow. You probably don't like Tancredi Pesaro with his heavy vibrato LOL. I guess I will have to go through and delete them from future contests. It will impact my mezzo contests a lot as I had a lot of Handel and Rossini and they are big stars there. I am mad for both and LOVE the pseudo sobs they both do, which Daniels does not do. Of course this is not the first time I love things no one else does here. I could count the ways. Too many years of isolated opera listening. Of course Horne and Sutherland were a big thing, but all their singing together was after 1960 so it is all disqualified on this forum. I am glad you guys like some of my other contests. Perhaps I should get the moderators to delete this round altogether.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I'm so sorry, John, but I really didn't like either of these. The first note from Podles, as she sings _Cawrah sposah_ put me off completely. I couldn't even get through to the end. I just didn't like the sound she was making.
> 
> Horne is better, the tone more forwardly produced, but the vibrato is a bit too much. When was this recorded? I don't remember her having such a heavy vibrato on the recordings I know, like the *Semiramide* with Sutherland. Still, she sings with more feeling and a better understanding of the words.
> 
> ...


David is coming up of course as I am a huge fan of this aria.. Lots and lots of folks like Horne and Podles, but apparently not here. They both had huge careers with lots of fans so I know I am not entirely out of left field. I don't think Podles should have stopped singing because she had a lisp.Of course eveyone here besides me knows Italian and German and French. She was one of the greatest voices I ever heard live. This was early in Horne's career before her vibrato became slow. You probably don't like Tancredi Pesaro with his heavy vibrato LOL. I guess I will have to go through and delete them from future contests. This will eliminate many mezzo contests as Rossini and Handel have been dominated by both of them.. except in the libraries of my dear friends here.I am mad for both and LOVE the pseudo sobs they both do, which Daniels does not do in this aria and it disappointed me. Of course this is not the first time I love things no one else does here. I could count the ways. Too many years of isolated opera listening. Of course Horne and Sutherland were a big thing, but all their singing together was after 1960 so it is all disqualified on this forum. I am glad you guys like some of my other contests.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Podles is a weird singer. The way she puts this across, with her cavernous tone, dark, closed vowels, harsh accents and fierce demeanor, I feel I'm in a gothic horror novel. It scares me. Horne is less morbidly fascinating but far more pleasant, sustaining a fine legato line that makes the piece virtually a different composition than whatever Podles is singing. She's sometimes a bit flat, and there are minor reasons to think she's a little past her prime here (though Seattleoperafan says not), but my general impression is positive. The live recording isn't of the best quality. I can agree that his is a wonderful aria, and since there's plenty of latitude in the performance of Baroque music it'll be interesting to hear a variety of others do it.

I wanted also to remark on the orchestral bit before the Podles. Is it just me getting old and slow, or do people often play Baroque music at absurd speeds nowadays? I had visions of little cartoon animals running around.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Oh my dears, I cannot wait to see if I will be alone over there in that little corner once again but Marilyn Horne's rendition to me was sadder, warmer and less strong sounding than Podles. (pronounced Pode-lesh). And to me that spells Handel.


Hmmm, looks like for once I was along with the majority. Now fancy that!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> David is coming up of course as I am a huge fan of this aria.. Lots and lots of folks like Horne and Podles, but apparently not here. They both had huge careers with lots of fans so I know I am not entirely out of left field. I don't think Podles should have stopped singing because she had a lisp.Of course eveyone here besides me knows Italian and German and French. She was one of the greatest voices I ever heard live. This was early in Horne's career before her vibrato became slow. You probably don't like Tancredi Pesaro with his heavy vibrato LOL. I guess I will have to go through and delete them from future contests. This will eliminate many mezzo contests as Rossini and Handel have been dominated by both of them.. except in the libraries of my dear friends here.I am mad for both and LOVE the pseudo sobs they both do, which Daniels does not do in this aria and it disappointed me. Of course this is not the first time I love things no one else does here. I could count the ways. Too many years of isolated opera listening. Of course Horne and Sutherland were a big thing, but all their singing together was after 1960 so it is all disqualified on this forum. I am glad you guys like some of my other contests.


Please don't get disheartened. I really enjoy these competitions, even if I don't always like some of the singers. I'm always interested to hear them.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Please don't get disheartened. I really enjoy these competitions, even if I don't always like some of the singers. I'm always interested to hear them.


Thanks. I am growing and learning ... and not just about opera.. It is like having a boyfriend that hates sports and you live for it LOL


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Please don't get disheartened. I really enjoy these competitions, even if I don't always like some of the singers. I'm always interested to hear them.


Agreed. Anyone who sets out their personal likes and dislikes for general consumption is going to have their own idiosyncracies set into vivid relief in a way they probably aren't used to. It also takes time, trial and error to learn what people respond to positively or negatively. Creative artists experience this dance with the public routinely. We just go on dancing, and chances are good that we'll learn some new steps. Maestro, a polka-mazurka, if you please!


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> I wanted also to remark on the orchestral bit before the Podles. Is it just me getting old and slow, or do people often play Baroque music at absurd speeds nowadays?


I'm already old and slow but much prefer the quicker tempos. As I keep saying, speed is the essence of our times.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Agreed. Anyone who sets out their personal likes and dislikes for general consumption is going to have their own idiosyncracies set into vivid relief in a way they probably aren't used to. It also takes time, trial and error to learn what people respond to positively or negatively. Creative artists experience this dance with the public routinely. We just go on dancing, and chances are good that we'll learn some new steps. Maestro, a polka-mazurka, if you please!


This meant a LOT to me. This contest is sort of my personal growth area in my life and the bumps along the way have not overwhelmed me and I have learned a lot from you guys allowing me to do this. 20 years ago I would not be up to the task.I think I can say that for the most part the contest seems to be mostly a lot of fun for the group and a fun way to interact. I realized I can't do Wagnerian basses but everything else I seem to be doing okay. I have really grown particularly in knowledge of basses and baritones and have had fun trying to create challenging contests for you. I have fallen in love with some of these male singers. I can't wait to present some of those contests to you. I predict that there may even be some contestants many of you may not know well.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> This meant a LOT to me. This contest is sort of my personal growth area in my life and the bumps along the way have not overwhelmed me and I have learned a lot from you guys allowing me to do this. 20 years ago I would not be up to the task.I think I can say that for the most part the contest seems to be mostly a lot of fun for the group and a fun way to interact. I realized I can't do Wagnerian basses but everything else I seem to be doing okay. I have really grown particularly in knowledge of basses and baritones and have had fun trying to create challenging contests for you. I have fallen in love with some of these male singers. I can't wait to present some of those contests to you. I predict that there may even be some contestants many of you may not know well.


Why do you think you can't do Wagnerian basses? You've picked six very different singers with distinct voices and interpretations of a passage (not even an aria, really) which I might not even have though about but which I found rather interesting. Of course I can speak only for myself.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Why do you think you can't do Wagnerian basses? You've picked six very different singers with distinct voices and interpretations of a passage (not even an aria, really) which I might not even have though about but which I found rather interesting. Of course I can speak only for myself.


Thanks for saying that I just recently read the Historic Wagner Recording thread and I was in first grade and everyone else was in college. The last round someone else suggested and I got help on. It was much much better received than the first round which I selected. The first round was not what the crowd were looking for and the singers were much criticized. It was Marilyn and Eva in Wagner form in preview. I think I know what people are looking for in regular basses, but i am ignorant about Wagnerian declamation or whatever you call it. I just know if a voice is pretty or not and has excitement. Those Wagnerian bass selections are all gone now as are all Horne and Podles selections. I move on LOL. If someone wants to do Wagnerian bass contests they can do it. I still have 75 bass video selections for contests so I am ok, although sopranos are much better represented as I know them well..


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## marlow (11 mo ago)

Horne I think as I prefer the sound of the actual voice. As to the remark that Handel is tedious, I find certain other opera composers a goid deal more tedious than Handel!


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

marlow said:


> Horne I think as I prefer the sound of the actual voice. As to the remark that Handel is tedious, I find certain other opera composers a goid deal more tedious than Handel!


To be exact I said Handel CAN be tedious not IS tedious LOL. I love lots and lots of Handel and only some of it doesn't grab me. It can be repetitious when the music is not superlative. At his best he is among the best music ever composed.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> David is coming up of course as I am a huge fan of this aria.. Lots and lots of folks like Horne and Podles, but apparently not here. They both had huge careers with lots of fans so I know I am not entirely out of left field. I don't think Podles should have stopped singing because she had a lisp.Of course eveyone here besides me knows Italian and German and French. She was one of the greatest voices I ever heard live. This was early in Horne's career before her vibrato became slow. You probably don't like Tancredi Pesaro with his heavy vibrato LOL. I guess I will have to go through and delete them from future contests. This will eliminate many mezzo contests as Rossini and Handel have been dominated by both of them.. except in the libraries of my dear friends here.I am mad for both and LOVE the pseudo sobs they both do, which Daniels does not do in this aria and it disappointed me. *Of course this is not the first time I love things no one else does here. I could count the ways.* Too many years of isolated opera listening. Of course Horne and Sutherland were a big thing, but all their singing together was after 1960 so it is all disqualified on this forum. I am glad you guys like some of my other contests.


John: Just because certain singers are not popular with some on this list doesn't mean you should not continue to include them. In that case, I should never bother coming back here or taking these wonderful and time-consuming tests you prepare because most of the time, like you, I am on the other side of the fence too. Who cares. Don't take it personally.
For one thing, I am absolutely firmly convinced that some singers of today have that golden age quality to their voices and that, as much as I might prefer many voices of the past, I refuse to discard the present time as unlistenable voices and lost causes.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> John: Just because certain singers are not popular with some on this list doesn't mean you should not continue to include them. In that case, I should never bother coming back here or taking these wonderful and time-consuming tests you prepare because most of the time, like you, I am on the other side of the fence too. Who cares. Don't take it personally.
> For one thing, I am absolutely firmly convinced that some singers of today have that golden age quality to their voices and that, as much as I might prefer many voices of the past, I refuse to discard the present time as unlistenable voices and lost causes.


Thank you and in general I agree with you, but there are a handful of singers who are like my "home team" for me and it bothers me to see lots of negative criticism said about them by most of the posters, so for my emotional health there are some I will leave off the contests. It is like the way some of our members feel about Maria. Most singers I can enjoy without getting possessive of. Over the course of the contest I don't think it will effect the contest much. Eaglen, Sutherland after the Art of the Prima Donna, Horne and Podles. Not too many actually. Thanks again, sweetheart.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

John:
I recognize the passion we all have for certain singers and they become sacrosact to us. We begin to take it personally if someone criticizes our favorites, but things change as time goes on and frankly, there isn't one soprano in my original top 5 that is on my list today. I grew in my tastes and what were once my all time favorites no longer satisfied my needs. Not that I don't still think they had beautiful voices, it's just that as I later grew from a teenage 15 something changed inside of me, and from once loving a beautiful voice sound, I graduated to some who had flaws and imperfections but found their way into my gut like the others did not.
You will hate my "abandonment"(not really) of my first list: Sutherland/Tebaldi/Freni/Sayao/Price/Steber (who is still a top with me).
My second set along with Steber are: Olivero/Callas/Muzio/Gheorghiu/Zeani/Steber
Perhaps while compiling these tests John, you will suddenly acquire a new taste for an unusual voice that never attracted your attention in the past. It happened with me recently with Zeani. All these years and look what I had been missing. Shame on me!


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> John:
> I recognize the passion we all have for certain singers and they become sacrosact to us. We begin to take it personally if someone criticizes our favorites, but things change as time goes on and frankly, there isn't one soprano in my original top 5 that is on my list today. I grew in my tastes and what were once my all time favorites no longer satisfied my needs. Not that I don't still think they had beautiful voices, it's just that as I later grew from a teenage 15 something changed inside of me, and from once loving a beautiful voice sound, I graduated to some who had flaws and imperfections but found their way into my gut like the others did not.
> You will hate my "abandonment"(not really) of my first list: Sutherland/Tebaldi/Freni/Sayao/Price/Steber (who is still a top with me).
> My second set along with Steber are: Olivero/Callas/Muzio/Gheorghiu/Zeani/Steber
> Perhaps while compiling these tests John, you will suddenly acquire a new taste for an unusual voice that never attracted your attention in the past. It happened with me recently with Zeani. All these years and look what I had been missing. Shame on me!


You are right. My roster of singers I know and love has quintupeled with the contests!!!! Some are so nostalgic for me though that they won't go away LOL Bless you. Sutherland and Horne have been with me since my teens and Eaglen and Podles are very nostalgic for some of my favorite opera experiences at Seattle Opera, where almost all my live opera experiences have occurred. Ponselle is another one I am very attached to, but most of you are fond of her so i don't have to worry. She is sort of right under Callas for some of you.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> You are right. My roster of singers I know and love has quintupeled with the contests!!!! Some are so nostalgic for me though that they won't go away LOL Bless you. Sutherland and Horne have been with me since my teens and Eaglen and Podles are very nostalgic for some of my favorite opera experiences at Seattle Opera, where almost all my live opera experiences have occurred. Ponselle is another one I am very attached to, but most of you are fond of her so i don't have to worry. She is sort of right under Callas for some of you.


Look how I missed Ponselle. 6 lashes with a wet noodle!


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> Look how I missed Ponselle. 6 lashes with a wet noodle!


I have a very unusual and spectacular song by Ponselle up my sleeve. All the other contestants are great so I am not sure she will win. It is her best coloratura singing by far. Just you wait!


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