I was a doctor and on the way to visit a patient, this came on the radio. The call was not urgent and I had to stop the car and listen to this wonderful voice and it has been in my mind and heart for 25 years.
One of the things is that she is singing a baroque aria in the bel canto style accompanied by a very 1940s orchestra but all the question marks about style fall away because of her wonderful voice and her feeling for the music.
What a lovely voice, such phrasing and expression. Ms.Quartararo is a real discovery. I knew the name, but never heard any her recordings until now. Thank you so much for posting this wonderful collection.
I had never heard of this wonderful soprano until today. What a glorious voice! This is by far the finest account of the great aria care selve I have ever heard.
She was a magnificent talent and should have been the successor to Ponselle. She married Italy Tajo and being the traditional Italian male, demanded she retire to be wife and mother. They later divorced but with children, she decided not to attempt to resume her career. Our loss. The recordings she did leave are treasures.
Sublime, uncomplicated singing. There is a hint of Dorothy Maynor in her timbre. Goes straight to the heart. A real tragedy that she didn't have the career that seemed destined by nature and her own discipline and instincts.
I found the Florence Quartararo story through intensive research on the wonderful lyric soprano Dorothy Warenskjold, whose path she crossed. I too was immediately moved by her Care Selve, and equally moved by the 1967 newspaper with a forlorn picture of Quartararo & 10 year old daughter revisiting a dark, empty SF Opera stage. Quartararo's long time residence is 4 miles from where we live in Marin, and her daughter's later residence in San Francisco was several blocks from where we lived when first married. However, upon deeper research, the apparent causes of her tragically short career get shifted. See my immediately preceding comment.
Magnificent music, beautiful singer and heavenly flawless rendition. You may like to listen on UA-cam to John McCormack's recording of this song [in English] of years ago: he is my favorite tenor-bar none!
Other great performances are by Alma Gluck , Eide Norena, Claudia Muzio and Rosa Ponselle -impossible to choose one so I make it simple by choosing all .My list of 4 is now 5 !!!
Digging into documentary sources tells a different tale than the "She Sacrificed Her Career to Marry Italo Tajo" story, which has proliferated. In the course of researching another (slightly less) lost singer, lyric soprano Dorothy Warenskjold, I discovered that in her oral history interviews at UCLA (transcript runs 462 pages), Warenskjold, who performed with Quartararo & was a vocal technique expert if there ever was one (teaching at UCLA, declining the chairmanship of the vocal dept., judging SF opera & MET auditions), stated the problem was that impresario Sol Hurok blew out Quartararo's voice by working her too hard, too soon. Contemporary article & source research strongly tends to support this. Triumphant SF debuts--Opera Fall 47, & Symphony Jan. 48. But April 48 she postpones an appearance till May due to laryngitis. Later in 48 SF Examiner critic Alexander Fried says none of her later Symphony concerts has matched the first. Skips the SF Opera season Autumn 48, and resigns from the MET Dec 48. Lotte Lehman subs for her at a Stanford concert (poor Palo Alto...). And in June 1950, she declares personal bankruptcy, listing her occupation as "unemployed" (yes, there was a lawsuit involved but even there the details support the damaged-voice story). AND--she didn't marry Tajo till 1956, 8 yrs after leaving the MET. Yes she had a summer festival and performances in 2 seasons at San Carlo in Italy, mid 1950s. I haven't had a chance to research that yet & genuinely curious as to the actual scope of it. But I do note that reverting to light-schedule European singing was later to be Anna Moffo's formula for living with a damaged voice (although Moffo admittedly differs in having built a European fan base before U.S.). Stay tuned for more info on that--and get a newspapers.com subscription & read for yourself. Ironically, either version of the story leads to an ambitious male--just substituting Sol Hurok for Italo Tajo--with a woman paying for it.
I seem to recall an RCA Tosca duet with Vinay, if memory serves. Is that available anywhere? Thanks for this vibrant performance. She reminds me of Ponselle.
It's ALL a matter of personal preference and taste. No disrespect to Rosa Ponselle [a truly wonderful singer] BUT, for me, Florence is primus inter pares.
Is there any better singing than this in UA-cam? The voice is wholly untainted and deeply stirring. Thank you Ms. Quartararo, you brought me to tears.
Caballé
The most outstanding recording of this aria, and one of the Gramophone's great classics.
I was a doctor and on the way to visit a patient, this came on the radio. The call was not urgent and I had to stop the car and listen to this wonderful voice and it has been in my mind and heart for 25 years.
What a wonderful memory! Thanks for sharing it! 🙏
Perfection. One of the last Bel Canto recordings to be found...
Outstandingly beautiful voice. The best I've ever heard.Thank you for posting this voice from heaven.
Astonishing due to the sound of the heart in every word and phrase. Such a musicality is one in a million!
Absolutely adorable… a pure and radiant voice… great artistry… an antique aria of marvelous beauty… ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you for sharing this gem! 💎🙏🍀
One of the things is that she is singing a baroque aria in the bel canto style accompanied by a very 1940s orchestra but all the question marks about style fall away because of her wonderful voice and her feeling for the music.
well said my friend.
Without question a desert island disc and very probably the one I should save from the waves. Forever spine-tingling.....
Charming and celestial voice
Outstandingly beautiful and moving. Thank you!! Merci! An exceptional experience!
A brilliant voice which deserved a much longer survive on stage.
Thank you, dear Professor.
What a lovely voice, such phrasing and expression. Ms.Quartararo is a real discovery. I knew the name, but never heard any her recordings until now. Thank you so much for posting this wonderful collection.
The brilliance of Quartararo's voice and legato is indicative of the 'lost art' of Bel Canto
Perhaps one of the most beautiful recordings of all time. Une Merveille!
So magical, what a lovely voice, I'm in wonderland listening to this beautiful version.
I had never heard of this wonderful soprano until today. What a glorious voice! This is by far the finest account of the great aria care selve I have ever heard.
merci pour cette magnifique voix , tenue , musicalité .Grande découverte
Beautiful voice.
Luv discoveries like this
Jst beautiful
This aria is giving me unforgettable memories of an Indian journey in 2016
She was a magnificent talent and should have been the successor to Ponselle. She married Italy Tajo and being the traditional Italian male, demanded she retire to be wife and mother. They later divorced but with children, she decided not to attempt to resume her career. Our loss. The recordings she did leave are treasures.
ITALO Tajo
@@SuperMiguelito2000 Obviously. Now tell it to my computer. It doesn't like any language other than English and I didn't notice.
Have checked out the sad story. As Ezio Pinza said, "A voice full of warmth, pathos and grief". I should think there was grief for her.
Thank you Edmund. She looks and sounds beautiful. Will check blog.
Sublime, uncomplicated singing. There is a hint of Dorothy Maynor in her timbre. Goes straight to the heart. A real tragedy that she didn't have the career that seemed destined by nature and her own discipline and instincts.
I found the Florence Quartararo story through intensive research on the wonderful lyric soprano Dorothy Warenskjold, whose path she crossed. I too was immediately moved by her Care Selve, and equally moved by the 1967 newspaper with a forlorn picture of Quartararo & 10 year old daughter revisiting a dark, empty SF Opera stage. Quartararo's long time residence is 4 miles from where we live in Marin, and her daughter's later residence in San Francisco was several blocks from where we lived when first married. However, upon deeper research, the apparent causes of her tragically short career get shifted. See my immediately preceding comment.
So beautiful. xxx
That was astounding.
Love her embellishments - sublime what a voice - she would bring the house down.
Magnificent music, beautiful singer and heavenly flawless rendition.
You may like to listen on UA-cam to John McCormack's recording of this song [in English] of years ago: he is my favorite tenor-bar none!
Absolutely the best ever hard version of this aria. Sorry Maria ( Callas ): this time first place is not for you...
Callas didn't record or perform "Care selve."
Other great performances are by Alma Gluck , Eide Norena, Claudia Muzio and Rosa Ponselle -impossible to choose one so I make it simple by choosing all .My list of 4 is now 5 !!!
I like her middle range especially.
Digging into documentary sources tells a different tale than the "She Sacrificed Her Career to Marry Italo Tajo" story, which has proliferated. In the course of researching another (slightly less) lost singer, lyric soprano Dorothy Warenskjold, I discovered that in her oral history interviews at UCLA (transcript runs 462 pages), Warenskjold, who performed with Quartararo & was a vocal technique expert if there ever was one (teaching at UCLA, declining the chairmanship of the vocal dept., judging SF opera & MET auditions), stated the problem was that impresario Sol Hurok blew out Quartararo's voice by working her too hard, too soon. Contemporary article & source research strongly tends to support this. Triumphant SF debuts--Opera Fall 47, & Symphony Jan. 48. But April 48 she postpones an appearance till May due to laryngitis. Later in 48 SF Examiner critic Alexander Fried says none of her later Symphony concerts has matched the first. Skips the SF Opera season Autumn 48, and resigns from the MET Dec 48. Lotte Lehman subs for her at a Stanford concert (poor Palo Alto...). And in June 1950, she declares personal bankruptcy, listing her occupation as "unemployed" (yes, there was a lawsuit involved but even there the details support the damaged-voice story). AND--she didn't marry Tajo till 1956, 8 yrs after leaving the MET. Yes she had a summer festival and performances in 2 seasons at San Carlo in Italy, mid 1950s. I haven't had a chance to research that yet & genuinely curious as to the actual scope of it. But I do note that reverting to light-schedule European singing was later to be Anna Moffo's formula for living with a damaged voice (although Moffo admittedly differs in having built a European fan base before U.S.). Stay tuned for more info on that--and get a newspapers.com subscription & read for yourself. Ironically, either version of the story leads to an ambitious male--just substituting Sol Hurok for Italo Tajo--with a woman paying for it.
I would love to have heard Kirsten Flagstad sing this possibly as Brunhilde. Injecting a bit of Wagnerian iron.
How could you sing “vengo in traccia del mio cor”?
This way.
I seem to recall an RCA Tosca duet with Vinay, if memory serves. Is that available anywhere? Thanks for this vibrant performance. She reminds me of Ponselle.
Yes, I can find that for you.give me a little bit..
***** I found it! You posted it. Gonna have to indulge in Quartararo soon.
Sorry! but i can't feel it! Her Vibrato is too Much for me! and please ,don't even compare to Ponselle! She Beats them All!
It's ALL a matter of personal preference and taste. No disrespect to Rosa Ponselle [a truly wonderful singer] BUT, for me, Florence is primus inter pares.