I have had the pleasure of seeing Renee Fleming perform over a dozen times both in recitals and on opera stages. Heck, I even sang in the chorus with her for one of those performances. I sall all this to say I have come to know what to expect. Since I heard her for the first time in 2003 her voice has evolved into what is today one of the best voices in a generation. She is at the peak of her powers, and yesterday was no exception.
The program was a treat. For those who have at times been skeptic about artists jumping into the meat and potatoes off the bat, that was not the case here. She started the program with a selection from Armida, an opera she will be premiering a the Met later this season. The rest of the first half was as meaty as you could expect. Otello's Ave Maria stole the show. Hopeful, and prayerful, it highlighted why listening to her creamy tones to piano is as good as it will ever get as it takes the elements to the basics.
Renee described Richard Strauss as her favored composer. The music was made for her voice, and it shows. She was obviously in her element, flowing from each lied with ease and introspective interpretation. It would have been nice for the audience to allow for the vocal line and poetry to flow from art song to art song, but this is Baltimore (more to come on that later).
The latter part of the program was devoted to her discovery of the Verismo repertoire. She gave some popular samplings like Donde Lieta usci from Puccini's La Boheme, but also provided some excerpts from the lesser known score of the same story by Leoncavallo. Renee Fleming is not known as a Verismo singer, but gave us an understanding of why she is the diva she is. The versatility is just amazing. We still expect to see her on stage on other types of roles, but she appeals because she can give her audience what it wants without compromising her artistry. She did that here. My favorite aria in the CD was the Conchita. I would have expected a lot more heft from the ending, but placing this aria towards the end of the program could have posed a challenge.
No Renee Fleming concert would have been complete without a few encores. O Mio Babbino Caro has become a standard for her, and I never get tired of hearing it, especially as she took everyone's breath away with the held pianissimo at the end. Same for the Caecilie by Strauss, except this one had the umph I was hoping for in the Conchita. She ended with a lesser known piece on a CD she collaborated with Yo Yo Ma on. Grammy Nominated CD Soungs of Joy and Peace brought them two together in Touch the Hand of Love. For this recital to piano, it showed the audience another side of Renee Fleming. It may have left many scratching their heads, but those who know her as an artist and her beginnings were taken back to her roots as a jazz artist. Hearing those lower tones from an operatic soprano so late in the evening was for me one of the highlights of the evening.
All in all, Renee delivered as expected. The same cannot be said about the staff at the Lyric Opera House (and the one reason I have given this performance 4 stars). Letting audience members into the hall in the middle of pieces or sets is simply unacceptable. It is rude to audience members and it is unprofessional for the house to do that. While in principle I think it is disrespectful from those late arrivers to even request this, it is up to the hall managers to regulate that type of behavior. There are consequences for being late. One of them is you don't get to go inuntil appropriate. I understand this is "Baltimore", but becoming better has to start somewhere. To me this was a testament as to why Baltimore and Opera will always be mediocre at best. This is not a slight on Renee in the least as she was brilliant. If anything it is a compliment to the fact her creamy soprano wrapped in Vivienne Westwood gowns (She was stunning) can be versatile enough for the Met and the ghetto. There were late arrivers (a lady with a walker even had to get up to let some of those people in), a lady snorring, and even audience members who could not find a better moment to unwrap their hard candy than right in a middle of a piece. With the trailer park element in the audience, unbeknowst to her she crossed over succesfully.
The bottom line is this was an enchanting evening despite the unprofessionalism from the Lyric Opera House (I have to wonder if I would ever return to that venue, if not for heavy hitters they may bring). Not even they could upstage one of the greatest singers in our generation. If anything, the evening perpetuated her as the consumate artist and human being. I cannot wait for Armida in May.