# Round One: Care Selve. Alma Gluck and Eide Norena



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I love this aria so much and in my research found two new golden age artists to introduce you to who have not been in the contests before. I will be surprised if some of you aren't impressed with them. Alma Gluck was a Romanian/ American singer who was one of the premiere recitalists of her day. Norena was a heralded Scandinavian singer in her day. 




Come, My Beloved · Alma Gluck · Richard Hageman Opera Classics 1911-1918




Händel: Atalanta: "Care Selve" (1937) · Eidé Noréna · G. F. Händel Kaja Eidé Noréna ℗ 2018 Nordic Sound


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Sincere appreciation is due Alma Gluck for being able to sustain this aria with exraordinary poise and tonal beauty at an extraordinarily slow tempo. She disagrees slightly with her conductor and manages to speed things up a little. Norena's performance proceeds at a more normal tempo and exudes a wondrous warmth and humanity. No one today sings or plays Baroque music like this; some forty years ago I played the recording for a friend, a fine musician, who couldn't accept the anachronistic romanticism of it. But that never bothered me; I found it then, and find it now, one of the loveliest things I've ever heard. Norena is a soprano well worth getting to know.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Woodduck said:


> Sincere appreciation is due Alma Gluck for being able to sustain this aria with exraordinary poise and tonal beauty at an extraordinarily slow tempo. She disagrees slightly with her conductor and manages to speed things up a little. Norena's performance proceeds at a more normal tempo and exudes a wondrous warmth and humanity. No one today sings or plays Baroque music like this; some forty years ago I played the recording for a friend, a fine musician, who couldn't accept the anachronistic romanticism of it. But that never bothered me; I found it then, and find it now, one of the loveliest things I've ever heard. Norena is a soprano well worth getting to know.


This made my day!


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## PaulFranz (May 7, 2019)

Norena was great, and surprisingly idiomatic in French rep. I first encountered her singing in Rigoletto with my second-favorite French-style tenor, Villabella. I much prefer her to Flagstad where Norwegian singers are concerned. She easily wins my vote here--more voice than Gluck, even at the end of her career.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

_Care selve _was a popular recital piece for quite a few singers back in the day and I know it from versions by John McCormack and Schwarzkopf. I see Gigli and Pavarotti also sang it and, more recently, it's appeared on recitals by Janet Baker, Renée Fleming and even Leontyne Price. It was also something of a party piece for a local soprano, whose small career took her to the Proms and even an American tour. Her name was Ada Alsop and she sang at my parents' wedding blessing (they had already been married in Greece). I know she sang _Home, sweet home, _which made my homesick mother cry. I like to think she might also have sung this and I was delighted to find her recording of it is on youtube.

The aria requires a firm line, pure tone and both sopranos here fulfil both thos requirements, also easily managing that tricky upward octave leap to a sustained top note with consummate ease. How Gluck manages to sing with such a firm line at such a funereal tempo is really incredible, but I think I'm going to vote for Norena, who has a slightly faster tempo and better sonics, but both of them are wonderful.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

It must be very difficult to sustain each note for such a long time and both ladies were great at it. Alma Gluck sounded more transcendent, Kaja Eidé Noréna more girly. I don't know what the aria is about, this time I skipped looking up the libretto. I choose transcendent.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> _Care selve _was a popular recital piece for quite a few singers back in the day and I know it from versions by John McCormack and Schwarzkopf. I see Gigli and Pavarotti also sang it and, more recently, it's appeared on recitals by Janet Baker, Renée Fleming and even Leontyne Price. It was also something of a party piece for a local soprano, whose small career took her to the Proms and even an American tour. Her name was Ada Alsop and she sang at my parents' wedding blessing (they had already been married in Greece). I know she sang _Home, sweet home, _which made my homesick mother cry. I like to think she might also have sung this and I was delighted to find her recording of it is on youtube.
> 
> The aria requires a firm line, pure tone and both sopranos here fulfil both thos requirements, also easily managing that tricky upward octave leap to a sustained top note with consummate ease. How Gluck manages to sing with such a firm line at such a funereal tempo is really incredible, but I think I'm going to vote for Norena, who has a slightly faster tempo and better sonics, but both of them are wonderful.


Thanks for all of that back story. Yes there were lots of versions to choose from. I love Sutherland's version from the late 50's in front of a piano but I'm trying to shy away from piano accompaniment and I am featured her in the next round. I used to love Price's version but after these it has too much vibrato I think. She should have sung it like she sang Mozart and it would have been sublime. I really liked Gigli and am using him and a surprise that I think will greatly please you for the next round.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Thanks for all of that back story. Yes there were lots of versions to choose from. I love Sutherland's version from the late 50's in front of a piano but I'm trying to shy away from piano accompaniment and I am featured her in the next round. I used to love Price's version but after these it has too much vibrato I think. She should have sung it like she sang Mozart and it would have been sublime. I really liked Gigli and am using him and a surprise that I think will greatly please you for the next round.


I suddenly had a feeling that I'd told this story before and, sure enough, SOPRANO TOURNAMENT: (By Request): Quartararo vs Price 

Sorry for repeating myself, folks. Age obviously catching up on me.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

It seems to me we’ve had occasion to hear Norena in this very piece before. As Woodduck says, Alma Gluck’s rendition deserves appreciation for the display of breath control in singing the aria at such a glacial _tempo. _Her voice is so límpid. I object only to the suppression of vibrato. Both _tempo _and delivery of Norena’s version seem less Olympian and more human.
Difficult to choose.
I love versions by Florence Quartararo and (my first) Luciano for the sheer beauty of his voice. Walter Legge so admired McCormack’s octave leap that he had Schwarzkopf study it.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I suddenly had a feeling that I'd told this story before and, sure enough, SOPRANO TOURNAMENT: (By Request): Quartararo vs Price
> 
> Sorry for repeating myself, folks. Age obviously catching up on me.


I wasn't here


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

BBSVK said:


> I wasn't here


I don't remember whether I was here or not. When old folks talk to other old folks they needn't worry too much about repeating themselves.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I suddenly had a feeling that I'd told this story before and, sure enough, SOPRANO TOURNAMENT: (By Request): Quartararo vs Price
> 
> Sorry for repeating myself, folks. Age obviously catching up on me.


That was 2 years ago. It doesn't count. I forgot this as Bonetan did it. He got my help on a lot of the soprano stuff Quartaro at all..


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

MAS said:


> I love versions by Florence Quartararo...


Wonderful version, superb singer we don't have enough of.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> That was 2 years ago. It doesn't count. I forgot this as Bonetan did it. He got my help on a lot of the soprano stuff Quartaro at all..


If it was all of two years ago (I didn't check) then my memory isn't that bad!


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

I also love the version by the underrated Arleen Auger, though her recording was a little late. She was an estimable artist and sang so easily and naturally. In the attached *Esultate, jubilate* she sings so easily it seems she’s not doing anything. She seems to have everything needed at her beck and call.
I don’t know if John intends to us her in his contest, so I’ll refrain from posting her _Care selve. _


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

MAS said:


> I also love the version by the underrated Arleen Auger, though her recording was a little late. She was an estimable artist and sang so easily and naturally. In the attached *Esultate, jubilate* she sings so easily it seems she’s not doing anything. She seems to have everything needed at her beck and call.
> I don’t know if John intends to us her in his contest, so I’ll refrain from posting her _Care selve. _


You are getting ahead of me I don't always get it right but I did this time. I think you mentioned you loved her before in some contest. She is fabulous. Wasn't she mostly a recitalist?


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Seattleoperafan said:


> You are getting ahead of me I don't always get it right but I did this time. I think you mentioned you loved her before in some contest. She is fabulous. Wasn't she mostly a recitalist?


In her later years. She sang opera until she felt her high notes were giving her worries. Then she sang mostly concerts, recitals and the odd oratorio. But she never seemed to have any trouble singing.


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Very close call, but I'm going to give the slight edge to Alma Gluck, whose work has been growing on me over the last 3 years.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

This contest confused me. "Isn't Care selve by Handel? Why does it say Gluck?"

I'm sorry, but Alma Gluck I find really unpleasant here. I know practically nothing about her. Was this late in her career? Flat as a pancake!

Norena is new to me, but I can't imagine her losing. The sound is rather odd (the YouTube transcription no doubt). This is the better of the two by default. I don't much like either of these singers.

N.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

The Conte said:


> This contest confused me. "Isn't Care selve by Handel? Why does it say Gluck?"


Where does it say it's by Gluck? One of the versions is sung by Alma Gluck though.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Where does it say it's by Gluck? One of the versions is sungby Alma Gluck though.


The joke ceases to be funny when you explain it!

N.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

The Conte said:


> The joke ceases to be funny when you explain it!
> 
> N.


Sorry. It somehow got lost in translation.


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