Dare to be diva
She is one of the world's most respected opera singers, but Renée Fleming isn't afraid to try her hand at jazz and rock, writes Richard James Havis
RENÉE FLEMING is sometimes referred to as America’s favourite soprano, and it’s easy to see why. Glamorous and possessing the charisma of a classic movie star, the lyric soprano has a sublime voice that can soar over an orchestral accompaniment to reach the furthest reaches of an opera house.
Fleming, who came to prominence in the 1990s, and is now one of the world’s most sought-after classical vocalists, made her name singing Mozart, and then, later, Richard Strauss. A prolific performer, she has learned about 50 operas, and can perform in five languages, including Russian and Czech.
Fleming returns to Hong Kong on May 9 for a sold-out solo performance with a varied set which includes some Handel oratorios, Strauss songs, and some musical theatre by Rogers and Hammerstein. The Strauss works include 1894’s Morgen!, a love song with lyrics from a German poem by John Henry Mackay, which Strauss composed for his first wife Pauline de Ahna when they married.
“Strauss is my core composer,” says Fleming, whose last outing in this city was in 2007 when she performed Strauss’ Four Last Songs with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
“I have sung mostly the music of Strauss for the past 10 years. These are really popular songs, and my favourite songs, too. Morgen! is a very early song, but it reminds me a bit of Im Abendrot [At Sunset, one of the Four Last Songs].
That is interesting to me, as they act as bookends for his songwriting.”
