The Sound Post » Renee Fleming

Follow Up: Fleming Goes Pop

Colin Oettle — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:57:35 +0000

Renée Fleming recently talked with CNN about her newest album, Dark Hope, which was released on June 8 in the US. Dark Hope is an all-pop cover album that represents a departure from the operatic prima donna role that earned Fleming international fame. Inspired by new, edgy and eccentric lyrics, Fleming created not only a new image, but also a new voice for her popular debut.

See The Sound Post’s review of the single Endlessly here, and click through to watch both the CNN and WQXR interviews with Ms. Fleming.

WQXR Podcast:

Soprano Renée Fleming to Release Alt Rock Cover Album

Colin Oettle — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 02:32:58 +0000

Knock-out soprano Renée Fleming will release her new pop album, Dark Hope, on June 8 in the United States. Already out in Europe, the album represents the underside of Fleming’s newest leaf: popular music.

Her classical credits bud with acclaimed performances in the world’s best opera houses, multiple solo albums, and the moniker of “America’s Favorite Soprano.” None of this, however, receives a mention in the liner notes of her new release. Instead, Fleming wants to earn her alt-rock plaudits with a breathy, alto-range timbre that reflects little of her previous professional exploits. That tone, though antithetical to her pure, operatic upper register, is a tool she carefully crafted to convey an authentic pop feeling. Fleming and her producers have consistently asserted that the album is not a “crossover” but a purebred rock/pop release. The difference, they stress, is that a crossover album is classically styled performances of popular songs. Fleming’s recording is pop covers of pop songs.

The approach seems similar to the classical tradition in that Fleming plays the role of performing artist. She embraces the popular works of current artists and interprets them through her own musical lens, much like an artist performing a piece by a venerated composer. The single “Endlessly,” by Muse, is currently the only song on Dark Hope that has been released in the United States. It is available via iTunes.

The performance is reminiscent of the original in all the right ways: tempo, style, and yearning are all there. However Fleming’s own take on the song is evident in her phrasing. Through her choice of emphasis, she tells a different story than does Muse’s Matt Bellamy. Her female artistry contrasts with Bellamy’s and contributes to her reboot of “Endlessly.”

The only fault I found was with the instrumentation. Muse uses a delicate balance of drum set, piano, and synth to propel the otherwise andante threnody. But Fleming’s iteration, while not lethargic, is more subdued. The strings are effective but synthesized, and therefore cannot provide the same rich, varied sounds as a live instrument. Muse’s original does use heavy synth, but the sounds are overtly electronic as opposed to instrumental representations. Simply put, synth instruments cannot adequately complement a voice like Fleming’s. I do look forward to hearing the rest of the album, given the incredible talent and musicality that is evident on this single.

Related Articles:
New York Times review by Anthony Tommasini
New York Times review by Jon Pareles

A Night At The Met: Verdict – They Still Got It

Ian — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:05:33 +0000

Most news coming from the Metropolitan Opera these days has not been uplifting. From the boos toward director Luc Bondy after Tosca, to the similar signs of vexation shown to maestro Daniele Gatti after Aida, this native New Yorker is a tad worried that we are developing a penchant for being ~~hard~~ impossible to please. Could this reputation possibly prevent performers from coming to New York? Probably not, since New York is “where dreams are made,” after all. However, I’m afraid we may yet become known as a city full of critics—not the art lovers and appreciators we are. Because I had not yet visited my favorite opera house this season, I splurged and purchased tickets for myself and a musician-colleague to Friday night’s performance of Der Rosenkavalier featuring Renée Fleming.

Perhaps it was the mediocre review given by the New York Times on Tuesday’s opening night, the flowing negativity for the other two productions currently at the venue, or the absence of James Levine, but let’s just say that I was hesitant to purchase last-minute-tickets for the sold out show (thanks to allshows.com for the tickets, but damn you for the 200% inflation without even delivering them to will-call). Upon arriving and immediately ordering champagne with the last of my cash, I took my seat.

The first thing I noticed was the number of empty seats. I won’t dwell on this for long, but seeing a sold-out theater with many vacant seats certainly makes me wonder. Although I was sitting in Family Circle—the highest seating section at the Met, where some seats were likely reserved for absent subscription holders—I would bet that many tickets were still sitting on unsuccessful scalpers’ desks. For those thinking, “at least the tickets were sold,” please read my article on the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which despite perennially outstanding ticket sales, is experiencing a half a million-dollar deficit. These companies survive on gifts and donations. Getting people in the seats is only the first part of that process.Ok I’m done with that topic, I promise.

The curtain opens, Renée Flemming and Susan Graham are truly a match made in heaven. They last paired in 2000 for a performance of the same opera, to rave reviews. I realize how fortunate I am to see them opposite each other. Baron Ochs is hilarious. Icelandic bass Kristinn Sigmundsson exemplified the perfect balance of power and “boring” I thought his role demanded. Newcomer Miah Persson, as Sophie, besides from being absolutely gorgeous, has not only the power so often lacking in her role, but also amazing acting skills. More on that soon though.

Act II, the scene I am most looking forward to is coming up, the Presentation of the Silver Rose. The set was the most breathtaking work I have ever seen. Image: Graham walks in from a sub-stage staircase dressed in all silver, servants line the extravagant spiral staircases, cue the horn fanfare, and a not so subtle gasp from everyone in the audience signals our profound appreciation. I forget all about the recent attack on my bank account. Thank you Maestro Edo de Waart for giving us a moment to appreciate this. The pause might have lasted mere seconds, but it seemed like an eternity, and I felt like I was in the scene for the rest of the act. I wanted to applaud, absolutely sensational… and on a similar idea, the Maestro knew exactly when to do this at other points in the opera (such as the renown Act III trio).

If you are familiar with the opera, you spend much of Act II waiting for the initial moment between Octavian and Sophie. You know what I’m talking about, the look that says more than words can. It can be the most subtle thing in the world, or grandiose and overdone. We know how everything ends, but the first glance of star-crossed lovers can burn an image in your brain forever. So how was it?

The tension was palpable, and even more important, the romance was believable.

I wouldn’t be doing my job if I just raved all day and night about how much I loved the trio in Act III, or the period costumes which made Flemming truly look like an Austrian princess. I want to address something else…

During one of the (lengthy) intermissions, I had the pleasure of speaking with several other members of the audience. My goal: to track down someone who attended the opening of Tosca. Mission accomplished, with a lovely couple from central Jersey who have had a subscription to the Met for 38 years. Got that? 38 years! I’m quite comfortable posting their comments online.

I asked them about Tosca, and they enthusiastically praised the production. I followed up with an inquiry into the audience’s reaction to director Luc Bondy. They were passionate in saying that the booing was not a universal reply, but centralized to specific clusters of the crowd (and not just the expensive orchestra seats). Details of the premiere performance emerge: on-stage nudity, sexual acts (we’re talking well beyond the under-the-covers stuff), things start to click into place in my mind.

What am I getting at? Nothing really, just that I’m happy I threw caution to the wind, went with my gut and respect for the Met which has been earned via decades of good performances, and spent my Friday night at the opera. It was one of the best productions I have seen in years. My colleague, for who this was the first time at the opera, is counting down the days until Madame Butterfly. If you take anything from this article, let it be that when it comes down to reviews, booing or applauding, only one opinion matters, your own.

Gilbert Leads NY Phil as Music Director

Colin Oettle — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:45:10 +0000

Alan Gilbert reigned over the New York Philharmonic tonight for the first time as music director. Hosted by actor Alec Baldwin, the televised broadcast “Live from Lincoln Center” allowed millions to watch not only the NY Phil’s opening night, but its venture into a new era of leadership. Gilbert is not only the youngest-appointed music director, but also the first native New Yorker to hold the position.

The program began with the world premier of EXPO by Magnus Lindberg, the Phil’s composer-in-residence until 2011. Lindberg wrote the work knowing it would open the milestone season—the Phil’s 50th at Avery Fisher Hall.

EXPO was followed by Songs pour Mi—a song cycle by Olivier Messiaen. Sung by Renée Fleming, the song cycle is a portrait of Messiaen’s love for his wife, Claire Delbos, who he nicknamed Mi. Those watching the televised broadcast saw Fleming introduce the cycle with a pre-recorded speech, which outlined Messiaen’s relationship from his marriage to Delbos at 27 years old, to her institutionalization due to mental illness after the end of World War II.

Finally, the headlining work of the night was Symphony No. 1—or the Fantastic Symphony—by Hector Berlioz. Written only three years after Beethoven’s death, the work facilitated the exodus into Romanticism, as it’s massive orchestration and lush expression brought unrestricted emotive composition into the musical world. The work is programmatic—that is, it possesses a narrative—with notes written by Berlioz himself. Each of the five movements has a descriptive title, including the famous March to the Scaffold and Dream of a Witch’s Sabbath. As described by Berlioz, the piece tells the story of “an artist gifted with a lively imagination” who has “poisoned himself with opium” in the “depths of despair” out of “hopeless love.”