Customer Reviews

Homage: The Age of the Diva ~ Renee Fleming

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4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Two facts about this CD are undeniable: most of the arias will be unknown even to experienced opera fans, and Fleming's voice is in fantastic shape. I can't vouch for her pronunciation of Russian and Czech, but except for Karita Mattila, no soprano before the public has sung these Rimsky, Tchaikovsky, Smetana, and Janacek arias with auch plush, secure, and ear-ravishing tone. In fact, the two conventional numbers from Tosca and Adriana Lecouvreur are the weakest here--they sound mannered compared to past greats like Callas and Leontyne Price; nor does Fleming have a voice with the verismo heft to handle Tosca in the opera house.

The rarity from Goundo's "Mireille" is a coloatura display in keeping with tow much better known items from the same composer, Marguerite's Jewel Song from Faust and Juliet's waltz aria from Romeo et Juliette. fleming's coloratura was in its prime some years ago, but she still does very well. The impassioned excerpt from Jenufa is especially welcome since Fleming represents a major voice in the role; she is veyr affecting.

It's true that she still indulges in pushing her emotions to stagey lengths--more diva than real-life woman--and she throws in sobs and catches that we could well do without. Even so, this is her first CD since a similar recital with Solti in 1997 where we get the luxutry of world-class conducting. Gergiev is splendid, particularly in the Slavic selections. The recorded sound is fine. All in all, this is a great treat for Fleming's countless fans and a reminder of how rare a true opera superstar has become.

Reigning soprano Renée Fleming's beautifully fulsome voice is put on dramatically effective display in a surprisingly accommodating program that highlights the selections sung by prima donnas at the turn of the last century. Unlike her forays into Handel or even her pop-jazz repertoire, she does not try to harness her sometimes florid mannerisms into a range compatible with her material. If anything, this disc really showcases her technical assuredness in what could have been an elaborate exercise in self-indulgence. With her range amazingly clean and her legato just about perfect, she dives headlong into these relative obscurities that have been chosen to evoke renowned singers from that period.

Among the most thrilling tracks here is Richard Strauss' "Orchesterzwischenspiel" segueing into Fleming's Danae on "Wie umgibst du mich mit Frieden" from "Die Liebe der Danae". She superbly evokes German soprano Lotte Lehmann on "Ich ging zu ihm" from Erich Wolfgang Korngold's "Das Wunder der Heliane" and Lehmann's Moravian rival Maria Jeritza on the hyper-dramatic fireworks of "Mamicko, mam tezkou hlavu...Kdo to je?" from Leos Janacek's "Jenufa". She covers more familiar territory with "Vissi d'arte" from Puccini's "Tosca" and "Tacea la notte...Di tale amor" from Verdi's "Il trovatore", both benefiting from her accomplished phrasing.

There are moments when I feel she gets a bit coy, for example, her overly ornate approach to the waltz, "Le ciel rayonne, l'oiseau chante...O légère hirondell," from Gounod's "Mireille". However, she rebounds admirably on my two favorite tracks, the moving "J'ai versé le poison dans cette coupe d'or" from Massenet's "Cléopātre" (a tribute to Scottish soprano Mary Garden) and the tragic "Pochudilis mne budto golosa" from Tchaikovsky's early opera success, "Oprichnik". Overall, with fittingly stentorian accompaniment from the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg led by Valery Gergiev, the disc proves Fleming to be at the height of her interpretative powers even if the hodgepodge nature of the material here is jarring at times.

American soprano Renee Fleming and Decca hit this one out of the park. This is a wonderful CD that deserves a place in the collection of every opera lover and Renee Fleming fan.

The concept of this CD makes it special, and Renee's singing makes it a must-have. Renee Fleming clearly respects the art and those who have gone before her. She pays loving tribute to great sopranos of the past by singing their signature arias. Other than "Vissi d'arte", "Poveri fiori", and the scene from "Jenufa", the CD has content that is probably unfamiliar to even long time opera fans. The chance to hear these rare arias performed by Fleming is reason enough to own this CD

While many of these arias may be unfamiliar, they will strike you as similar to seeing an old friend. You can plainly discern the composer, particularly in the cases of Strauss, Korngold, and Gounod. The final aria on the CD, "Ich sol ihn niemals, niemals mehr sehn" quotes a motif from Korngold's aria "Marietta's Lied".

I must respectfully disagree with some of the criticisms of Renee's interpretations and choices. I think the "Vissi d'arte" was very well done. The way of Callas isn't the only way. As another critic noted regarding this aria, the extremely long sustained note in the penultimate phrase was awesome. Showy? Perhaps. Nonetheless, what a bold artistic choice and incredible display of breath control.

I also respectfully disagree with those who quibble with the selections; her voice is too light for "Tosca", too heavy for Gounod, etc. Let's remember that in the so-called "golden age", and even into our time, sopranos sang a much broader rep. Pigeonholing is a more recent practice. You saw lyric sopranos singing roles that are now sung by coloraturas. Heck, they even sang mezzo roles such as Rosina and Carmen! I'll give you the assertion that "Tosca" on stage would not be a good choice for Renee in this day and age. But "Mireille"? Why not? Yes, Gounod's Juliette role is normally sung by a coloratura, but his Marguerite is normally sung by a lyric. Take your pick.

The program order also really works here. My favorite sequence is "Ich ging zu ihm" followed by "La ciel rayonne, l'oiseau chante", followed by the Strauss. Later, the Massenet coming in the wake of the Verdi provided wonderful contrast.

If you could only buy one compilation disk by a soprano this year, you should buy this one. Highly recommended.

"Homage: The Age of The Diva" is probably Renée Fleming's best CD to date. Her choice of arias suit the singer perfectly well and show her musically and dramatically involved in what she sings. With the excellent support of Valery Gergiev, Fleming intoduces us to a bunch of arias that young listeners will discover for the first time and more veteran aficionados had been waiting to hear sung by the best soprano in the world.

From the sensuous, ethereal, unbelievable beauty of Korngold's "Ich ging zu ihm" to the fierce drama of "Dalibor", the almost agonizing melodrama of "Poveri fiori", the joy and lightness of "Mireille", the tremendous passion of the arias by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov and the intense tragedy of "Jenufa", Fleming has rarely combined her amazing technique (seamless legato, radiant and luminous high notes, the strong and expressive low register of her voice) with such a dramatic impact.

If I had to take just one of Renée's CD to my desert island, it would be this one. Actually I think I am already addicted to it! I can't stop listening to it every day!

Brava Ms Fleming!

When thinking of legends-in-the-making who by the beauty of their hearts and minds as well as their art have endeared themselves to OUR hearts
and minds, I think of Renée Fleming. With her new CD, it's immediately apparent to this listener that THE VOICE has reached a new depth of
maturity. Not surpringly, the rich repertoire chosen by Ms Fleming seems to be a perfect fit for her voice and as she's indicated, it suits her. Add to this collection the deeply involved, sensitive conducting of one of Renée's favorite conductors, Russian, Valery Gergiev. Then, add the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre(previously known as THE KIROV ORCHESTRA). MAGIC occurs. The music, the voice, the conductor, the orchestra. It's a GRAND SLAM! You'll be glad you added it to your collection.

There really should be no question on the quality of Renee Fleming's voice - it's unequivocally beautiful. It is a glorious cream-and-gold sound, and her technique is formidable.

Why, then, am I frequently not transported or moved when I hear her sing?

The answer lies in HOW Ms Fleming uses her miraculous voice. I feel that her early experience in jazz singing has permanently affected her idea of interpretation - i.e., not subtle. The frequent interspersions of breathiness and sobs simply detract from the beauty of her voice, and the terribly annoying thing for me is that she does not need to do this. Her voice is in itself a beautifully coloured thing, sufficiently expressive in its timbre not to require the ham-and-glam touch. Who can deny the sheer glory of the voice itself? But equally, who can deny that inappropriate and thoughtless bathos is detracting from the perfection that could be hers?

Ms Fleming's German pronunciation is good. Her Italian is not. (In fact, in "Taccea la notte", there's a quite unforgivable space in "notte" which any Italian coach would have forbidden. Why was this not picked up?) The Russian is accented, but that's more understandable than the Italian errors. But above all, I increasingly have the sense that Renee Fleming is not sufficiently master of the meaning of what she is singing to interpret it correctly. She inserts sobs and sighs into the most INAPPROPRIATE words (such as "and", "or", "the", etc.). So in terms of interpretation, I am disappointed... but once again, listening to this recording I am in awe at the sheer natural beauty of the voice itself.

The arias on this recording are all familiar to me - so it's not as though any of them needed "rescuing" from an oblivion of which I was aware. Certainly some of these arias are LESS familiar to some listeners, and I am glad to see that the eclectic collection chosen here will remind listeners today of some of the glorious works that are not often performed now, but which deserve to be.

The more familiar arias on the recording are the most disappointing, perhaps. "Vissi d'arte" has been performed (and is being performed) by singers with exactly the right tonal colour for the role of Tosca, so Ms Fleming's rather self-indulgent version does not add anything, really. But the Rimsky-Korsakoff is lovely, and the Korngold arias are almost perfect (the sob-and-sigh stuff took the edge off my pleasure, but oh, these are glorious arias and absolutely right for Ms Fleming's voice). I am still waiting for Ms Fleming to perform Strauss as she should be performing it - because her voice is a perfect vehicle for Strauss, yet I still feel something missing. Strauss sung in her wonderful voice should make me WEEP with pleasure.

Fans of Renee Fleming will love this recording, and will probably hear no wrong in it. They are right to love the beauty of this immensely gifted woman's voice. They will be more forgiving than I of the swoops and sobs and sighs that really affect my enjoyment of Ms Fleming's singing.

Opera lovers who find Renee Fleming's singing exasperating will probably not be converted by this recording. In terms of self-discipline, it's a continuation along the road of self-indulgence, and not a return to the discipline that made her Schubert Lieder album so marvellously good and her early bel canto singing phenomenally stunning.

Other singers that I can recommend singing this repertoire include: Gabriela Benackova (superb Janacek and Dvorak - I cannot praise this wonderful singer highly enough); Angela Georghiu (is there a better Tosca singing today, or a better Verdi soprano singing today? I doubt it); Karita Mattila (also so very, very good in both Verdi and Janacek); Callas (in my opinion and the opinion of many others, the best Tosca - and an outstanding Leonora); Leontyne Price (perhaps the most ideal Leonora who's ever lived, but get the earlier recordings for preference, when the bloom is well and truly there); Mireille Delunsch (who's doing fantastic things with French and other repertoire); and so on.

To sum up: there is no denying Renee Fleming's superb voice. The breadth of roles she is suited to singing is vast. I am increasingly dissatisfied with Ms Fleming's interpretative approach because it marrs the vocal line and does not add meaning. I will continue to listen to her recordings with the hope that a thoroughly good conductor or accompanist will guide Ms Fleming's interpretation and style.

Gergiev's conducting of the orchestra is superb in this recording, as expected, and the tone colours of the orchestra are magical. But he clearly didn't have enough clout to prevent the indulgent and inappropriately held note in Vissi d'arte, interestingly... It's clear who had the final say musically in this recording.

At the Verdi centenery everyone released Verdi compilations, then it was bel canto, then French arias, Handel, Mozart. It's got to be difficult to come up with a new theme, I know, but Renee Fleming really came up with a great idea with this one. Educate the public a little about past divas and explore their signature arias. Not the same old same old. I am loving this one. I'm traveling right now in Europe (going to the opera tonight, as a matter of fact) so I don't have the cover in front of me, but aside from Vissi d'Arte, most of the tracks are little heard but spectacular arias. I highly recommend this one. I'm enjoying it enormously and I think you would too.

Renee Fleming is back in her element. And what a return it is! Were it not for some weird choices this CD could be almost as amazing as her Rosmonda recorded several years ago. This CD opens with a Cilea piece sung beautifully with just the right dose of melancholy and sadness. She follows the tradition of Magda Olivero who sang this piece with equally intense colors, yet my preference still belongs to Olivero because she had the voice for the whole role & Renee does not. The real reason why this CD is so utterly essential is Fleming's taste for Slavic songs, arias and roles. In her hands they become little gems, I wouldn't expect any less from a soprano known as a Lieder singer. The same goes for the German pieces which are sung beautifully. Her German diction is excellent (She speaks it fluently) but sometimes a little veiled, here studying Elisabeth Schwarzkopf will show the difference.

Tosca and Trovatore Leonora are puzzling choices because Fleming's voice is not suited for either. She sings them adequately but not with the natural mastership of a Callas, Price or Milanov. The French pieces are excellent again, her full lyric soprano is made for this repertoire like no other these days. Touching the subject of mannerisms all I can say is that if people dislike Renee's style of singing, why do they keep buying her albums?

I loved this CD almost 100% and I'm glad to see Renee back with an operatic recital rather than crossover.

I had the opportunity to hear Ms. Fleming sing several of these arias in concert - this past summer at the Ravinia Festival and just a couple of weeks ago during a concert with the Lyric Opera Orchestra (Chicago) conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. Live - they were even better.

Yes, she indulges herself and the music. But, there has not been a more beautiful voice or a better trained/disciplined voice in the last 50 years.

Personally, having read everything I can find about him, I believe Mr. Puccini would approve of her approach to Vissi d'arte.

Pay no attention to those people who pan Ms. Fleming for her mannerisms. Personally, I think they are too busy looking for fault to actually listen to the music and hear how incredibly beautiful it is!

If you are looking for something to give a collector of opera CDs get this one. Most of the repertoire is less well known so you will most likely not be dupilcating too much of an existing collection.
Flemming sings this repertoire so well, perhaps someone will will be inspired to produce a production of one of these unusual operas so we can hear her sing some of these roles on stage.